Epilogue one-point-five - How it all began
by The White Guardian
Summary: A short story sandwiched in between my first story on this website, Epilogue, and it's sequel. When Ratchet pays a visit to a good friend of him, disaster struck in the form of Ratchet suddenly falling ill and being unable to fly back home. As he stays with his friend (and, secretly, love) he decides to tell a story to kill some time. A story nobody has ever heard. His childhood.
1. Disaster strikes

**The first Epilogue has ended less than a day ago, and I'm already back with a small chapter in which the story continues! But this time, we will jump to the beginning, into Ratchet's past, and uncover the connection between him and Hypernova, and why Hypernova took Ratchet with him in the first place. About the unusual title, apparently the site does not accept periods in titles. Joy. Anyhow, enjoy!**

* * *

 **WARNING: There will be major spoilers for the first story in this series, 'Epilogue', so I recommend reading that story first if you don't want your suprises ruined.**

* * *

Ratchet shook his head, groaned, and slowly opened his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy, and his throat felt dry. He looked aroud, and it took him a few seconds to remember where he was.

Angela's house. She used to have a metal-plated house (though it was more similar to a bunker than it was to a house), but when Max Apogee took her with him in an attempt to protect her, he and Angela both forgot to turn off all electric devices. In the years that Angela was gone, one or multiple electric devices overheated, and the house burned down.

Ratchet, of course, immediately came to help his friend. He had scavenged the wreckage for any belongings of Angela that had survived the fire, and he did find a few photos that were still intact, but most of Angela's belongings were lost for good.

Ratchet immediately offered her a sleeping place in his own home, and if it wasn't for the fact that Megacorp had insisted to cover the costs of Angela's new home, he'd have covered the costs of her new home as well. Angela had spent a week or two browsing through some star maps and planet lists, but to Ratchet's surprise, her choice was Derasol, a planet covered in water and tiny islands. It orbited the same star as Veldin, though Derasol orbited a bit further away. "Derasol is a place I wanted to visit since the moment I first heard of it, in class, when I was little." Angela had told Ratchet. "I never visited it, though. I was way too busy with work." she had continued with a hint of regret.

Little did Ratchet know that there was another reason why she picked Dunynoa. He had no clue that she also chose Dunynoa because it would mean that she would live in the same solar system as the Lombax she secretly loved.

And little did she now that he loved her just as much as she loved him.

Back to the present. Angela now owned a cozy little cottage near a waterfall, the water from said waterfall forming a natural swimming pool in her backyard. Angela would often find herself staring at the stars at night, and wonder if, on a neighboring planet, a certain male Lombax was watching the same stars.

She couldn't help but smile everytime she thought of him. From his large, golden feet to his handsome, friendly face: she loved everything about him. Imagine her surprise when he showed up on her doorstep one morning.

Ratchet had told her that Clank was at Holostar studios for yet another Secret Agent Clank-movie, and that he felt lonely, so he wanted to visit a friend. "Plus," he said, "I never got to see the area, mind showing me around?"

They spent the whole day together, but then, disaster struck. As the two were walking down the mountain, back to Angela's house, Ratchet suddenly stopped walking. Angela noticed, and stopped too. "Ratchet, is everything alright?", she had asked. Ratchet had opened his mouth to answer, but instead of words, out came a growl, and Ratchet collapsed.

Angela quickly picked him up, and summoned all her strength. She ran back to her house, her love still unconcious in her arms. When she arrived, she quickly laid him down on her bed and tucked him in. She then washed her hands, made a cup of tea for herself, and sat down on the bed, keeping an eye on Ratchet. She watched his chest rise and fall with each breath, she watched his ears twitch in his sleep, and she watched his eyes, hoping to see a hint of him waking up.

She sat there until the evening. When it started to get dark, she moved a chair next to the bed, and closed her eyes. "Please, Ratchet... wake up..."

And then she, too, fell asleep.

* * *

Birds joyfully chirped in the trees and the sun calmly shined down on the planet. Golden colored light calmly shined down on Ratchet's face. The Lombax stirred, ears twitching, and after a minute or two, he slowly woke up.

He noticed that he was lying in a bed, and he noticed Angela, silently sleeping in a nearby chair. Ratchet wanted to smile when he saw her face, but then an awful feeling washed over him. He groaned as he suddenly felt nauseous.

That groan woke Angela up. "Uh? Uh-oh, I'm awake!"

Angela shook her head, and turned to Ratchet. Her eyes widened when she saw him close his eyes and groan. His ears lowered as well.

Angela got up, ran down the stairs, grabbed a bucket, ran back up the stairs and held it under Ratchet's mouth just in time. She winced when he puked. As soon as he had stopped puking, she ran down the stairs, emptied the bucket above the toilet, grabbed a glass from one of the kitchen cabinets, filled it with water, and hurried back up the stairs. She handed the glass to Ratchet. "Drink this."

"Why?"

"Because the stomach contains a highly acidic substance, and I bet it's chewing on your throat as we speak. Your throat is going to hurt tomorrow unless you drink some water to remove the acid. Clear enough?"

Ratchet didn't drink twice and drank the water. He immediately closed his eyes. "Uuh... my stomach does NOT like that splash of cold water."

"That was to be expected."

Ratchet shook his head. "Help me get up, would you?"

Angela helped him get up. "Why?" she asked once he was standing.

"I'm going back home, the last thing I want is forcing you to take care of a sick person." Ratchet said as he walked down the stairs. Angela ran after him and blocked the door. "Oh, hell no! You're in no condition to fly! Ratchet, you are not leaving this house while you're sick."

Ratchet suddenly lost his balance. Angela hurried over to him and caught him just in time. "That's what I mean."

Ratchet nodded. "Well, over my dead body that I'm going to force you to sleep on the couch. I'll sleep on the couch instead."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't want to be a burden."

Angela chuckled. "Ratchet, you're my friend. I'm happy to help you."

Ratchet smiled as he lay down on the couch. "Thank you, Angela."

Ratchet rolled onto his right side and Angela sat down in a seat on the other side of the coffee table. "Well, all we can do is wait until your immune system has exterminated the virus."

"Well, then I suppose we need to kill some time."

"Not necesarily. I can wait."

"Yeah, but... it's going to become boring pretty soon, huh?"

"Probably."

Ratchet sighed. "Well... I know a way to kill some time."

"Spill the beans."

"A story."

"Sounds good, what story is it?"

Ratchet rolled onto his back. "It's a story that nobody has heard so far, not even Clank. The story of my childhood. You see... a few weeks after Black Hole's defeat, late at night I got a visit from a hologram of Hypernova. He guided me to a faraway asteroid, one in which he had a base. He took off his helmet, and the moment I saw his face, it was as if I was punched in the gut."

"What, was he that ugly?"

"No, no! I knew him. All too well. It all began a long time ago, when I was but a little child..."


	2. Horrible pasttimes

**Alright, everyone, the update schedule is officially back! But before you all wince at the fact that this chapter is somewhat short, I have an exciting announcement to make: to celebrate the end of a test week (and since the next chapter is practically done already) chapter three will be released on Wednesay. Furthermore, in addition to the reviews of the previous chapters, I will reply to those posted on Epilogue 1 as well. Let's start off with those, shall we?**

 **Reviews for Epilogue chapter 27:**

 **Max Chronicle: "** ** _That...was an ending to remember. An ending to always remember.  
"Rest in peace, Hypernova." You're right Ratchet, you are so right.  
March 10, I'll mark my calendar. Can't wait, knowing you, I'd say it'll be BIG!  
Good job on the story, as long as you write, I'll always read.  
Max out._"  
Yes. May Hypernova find peace amongst the stars. And it'll surely be big, the grand sequel! I've finally got the entire plot worked out, and while I won't spoil anything, let's say it's going to be more action-packed as well as feature a decent amount of romance, basically the same formula behind Epilogue 1 optimised. Also, did I portray Bonalox correctly in chapter 26 of Epilogue 1? Anyhow, thank you for your kind words, and I'm glad you enjoyed Epilogue 1.**

 **Destiny W: "** ** _This was a great chapter and a great ending. I can't wait for the next story. : )_ "  
Well, the grand crossover sequel will be uploaded on March 10, but until then there's this story to enjoy. Anyhow, here's hoping you'll enjoy this story just as much.**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _Awesome job! Go Epilogue series, go! Wonderful storyline!_ "  
Thank you! But the storyline is not over yet. Not by far!**

 **The Machine: "** ** _You did a wonderful job on this story and I'd like to thank you for writing it! It's too awesome to ignore! Way, way too awesome!_ "  
Thank you! I actually had fun writing this, it's wonderful to hear people are enjoying the result of your hard work. Here's hoping you'll like this story just as much.**

 **vengarl22: "** ** _Woah that was quite a reveal that was pretty cool_ "  
Yeah, it sure ended with a bang, didn't it? But there are more surprises, and chapter three of this story is going to feature a huge surprise for everybody, I'll hint that much.**

 **Reviews for Epilogue chapter 28:**

 **Flowerstar: " _I may not be a Star Fox fan but I am intrigued about your sequel. I can picture it now... Ratchet and Fox McCloud sharing each other's stories about their struggles and their dead fathers. Unless that's going to be in the sequel? I'm not sure. Did Star Fox 64 3D got you hooked on the Star Fox series? I've been wondering if there's any point in getting this game even though I already have the original version after all these years._**

 ** _My younger sister have Star Fox Assault but I've never played it. According to a review I've read in a magazine, the game is good but it's not as good as Lylat Wars and the previous instalment of the Star Fox series. Though, from what I've seen from the E3 footage on one of the old DVD discs which comes with one of the issues of the CUBE Magazine (it's a magazine centred around the Nintendo Gamecube, hence the name), there will be weapons (this is the first and perhaps the only Star Fox game to have weapons) and walking around the landscapes of the planets involved. Of course, flying in the Arwings is the norm._**

 ** _In fact, Lylat Wars (the title kinda reminds me of Star Wars) is not only my first outer space outing, it's also my first foray into intergalactic butt-whupping but I'm sure you already knew that, considering you've already read my #N64Memories Retrospective article. Back in 1997, I never liked the game until years later, I've grown to kinda appreciate it. I still loathe shooting games with a burning passion, though. I've played this game not too long ago and for the first time ever, I finally completed the game. Although, I've heard there are alternative endings to it._**

 ** _Speaking of #N64Memories, this is one of the reasons why I've been absent. Once again, I've been requested to write a new article. It's entitled, "Time Tunnel 1999: Lego Racers". The title is inspired from one of the programmes on the Heart television channel (it's a music video channel which shows music videos from the oldies. Y'know... 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, early 2000's, mid 2000's, late 2000's etc) and "Barbie and the Rock Stars: Dancin' Back To Earth" (it's an 80's animated cartoon film. The words, "time tunnel", have been mentioned a few times). Lego Racers is an extremely forgotten and underrated kart-racing video game for the Nintendo 64. It's also released on other platforms too such as PlayStation 1, PC etc. The article is still not ready to be submitted yet, I'm currently tweaking it._**

 ** _The other reason is my computer went kaput again and it's still getting fixed. The third reason is I'm ill. I rarely get sick but I think it usually happens whenever it's snowing, if there's snow or it's ridiculously cold._**

 ** _Anyway, I'll be looking forward to the sequel and be sure to check out my previous fanfictions such as "Galactic Gang", "Sandshark Scuffle", "Mario's Snowball Fight" and "Spyro & Jake Long: Ripto's Revenge", when you get the chance. When you do, I hope you'll be able to read and review them._**

 ** _Speaking of Star Fox, are you thinking of getting Star Fox Zero? I've heard it's a re-imagining of Lylat Wars. I've also heard it will be released for the Wii U this year._ "  
Ratchet and Fox talking about their deceased parents, well... spoiler alert for if you haven't read the ending of Epilogue, but Ratchet's parents aren't exactly 'dead' anymore... But they'll definitely discuss the subject. Or rather Fox and - no, I won't spoil that part. I'll give you a hint though: while Ratchet may have his parents back, someone very important to him does not.**

 **And Star Fox Assault... it's actually a rather... 'odd' game, since the ending depends on the choices you've made. Some endings are very sad, while others are very happy. It's more or less a challenge for the player to discover every possible ending. However, people disliked that there were more ground based missions than aerial missions, apparantly people prefer to take the skies in an arwing rather than engaging the enemy in good old ground-based gunfight like in Ratchet and Clank. I must admit that I, too, really prefer the spaceship part, part of me just prefers to take the skies.  
**

 **As for how I got introduced to the Star Fox series... I must admit, the only Star Fox game I ever played was Star Fox 3D. I actually first discovered the Star Fox series on youtube as a video suggestion. I immediately liked the setting of the franchise, so I decided to look up some information. When I saw a copy of Star Fox 3D lying around in an electronics store, I decided to buy it, which turned out to be a very good idea. I actually defeated Andross on hard mode, though it's quite freaky to be chased around by a floating brain and two eyeballs. Nevertheless I still enjoy playing it, flying through the skies of alien worlds in 3D as well as save the Lylat system, or I'd take on my younger brother in the competitive mode. In fact I enjoyed playing Star Fox so much that I looked up the storyline, and found out that it had a brilliant plot. And thus I decided to turn the sequel into a crossover since Ratchet and Clank and Star Fox have the same setting and can actually be set in the same universe: what if Lylat was a star on the edge of the Solana galaxy? It takes just one sentence to connect the two games.  
**

 **And of course I am getting Star Fox Zero! I found out about Zero while digging through the Star Fox Wiki, 'Arwingpedia', for information I could use for the grand sequel's storyline, and discovered that there's a remake for the Wii U incoming. As it turns out, I've got a Wii U, and I'm enjoying it as well with games such as Mario Kart 8, Splatoon, but mostly Smash Bros for Wii U/Nintento 3DS (I really enjoy messing up NPC's days as Link from The Legend of Zelda series or Ike from the Fire Emblem series, though I can also play as Ganondorf(Legend of Zelda series), Sonic(Sonic series), or Captain Falcon(F-Zero series) if I have to. I'm still learning to control Mario (turns out a well-trained Mario kan smash practically everyone in a matter of seconds using a few tricks and some well-timed moves), and I'm starting to learn how to control Rosalina & Luma, who actually make a rather destructive team since Luma mimicks Rosalina's attacks, and therefor acts like there are two Rosalina's at once, but I'm going off-topic here). Star Fox Zero, to my eyes, looks like an already amazing game remade with as much detail as possible and made truly epic when it comes to render and texture quality. Here's hoping the game's controls will be nice too.  
**

 **Furthermore, good luck with your article, and I hope you'll get better soon. Also, having a broken or bad computer is horrible, I really hope your computer will be fixed soon. I hope you didn't lose any files important to you when it broke. And I'll definitely check out some of your other stories.**

 **Reviews for Epilogue 1.5 chapter 1:**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _Awesome! Can't wait for the next chapter!_ "  
Well, wait no more, it's here! Enjoy!**

 **Max Chronicle: "** ** _That was quick.  
I guess I didn't expect this to be a multi-chapter story. Shouldn't be surprised really, Epilogue isn't a story you could tell in one chapter...and backstories are also super long.  
I'll be reading this in its entirety, you can be sure of that. And reviewing, let's not forget that.  
Max out_"  
Frankly, I'm not really sure how much chapters this story is going to count either, like Epilogue 1 I've left some moments where I can add an extra chapter if I have to, but you'll find out what I mean soon enough. I'm already looking forward to your reviews!**

 **vengarl22: "** ** _Awesome_ "  
Thank you!**

 **Alright, all reviews have been replied to, so let's hear Ratchet's story, shall we? I must warn you all though, life hasn't been fair on the young Lombax, so don't expect many happy moments for the unfortunate soul anytime soon.**

* * *

Ratchet sat down and sighed. He hated this place. He looked down at his 'dinner', and he doubted it was edible. But it was the only food he'd get, so there was no point in not eating it. Just as Ratchet moved his hand to his fork, he was given a hard push.

"My seat now, pally."

Ratchet glared at the person towering high above him. "Hey! I was here first! Leave me alone!"

"You were here first, you say?", the person replied. It was a strongly-built Markazian child named Lucas: short, spiky black hair, jeans, a black shirt, and leather boots were his usual outfit.

Lucas had been bullying Ratchet from the day he arrived at the orphanage. He'd usually call him names, such as 'Weirdo', 'Long-eared freak', or 'disgusting creature', but sometimes, when Lucas was bored, he'd ask a few of his friends to come with him, and they'd sneak up on Ratchet, and two of the 'friends', would grab Ratchet's arms while Lucas and used him as a punching bag. The third time he did this, Ratchet told one of the orphanage's people (that he mockingly called 'Wardens'). The 'warden' confronted Lucas, and of course Lucas lied, and only to make matters worse, the 'warden' believed Lucas and punsished Ratchet by locking him up in a small room, the 'time-out chamber' for a day. The day Ratchet was let out, he got another beating from Lucas for 'trying to snitch him'.

And now, the bully was taking his seat.

Ratchet growled. "Lucas, I already see you as the pure definition of an asshole, but now I'm starting to think you're dumb too."

One of the 'wardens' heard Ratchet's insult, which resulted in Ratchet getting sent to bed without dinner, and Ratchet was pretty sure Lucas would gobble up the food he was forced to leave behind.

Ratchet was pushed into the 'time-out room', a room where troublemakers got sent to so they could 'cool down'. The concrete wall once had a landscape painted on it, though time's marks reveled the concrete underneath. He lost his balance, and fell on the cold floor face-first. "A night here should teach you to watch your mouth, long-eared dwarf.", the person behind him spat.

Ratchet got up and turned around, only to see the door lock with a 'click'. He waited until the footsteps were gone before he moved to a corner of the room and started to cry.

He was only seven and he already wished himself dead.

He buried his face in his hands and let out a loud cry. "It's not fair...", he sobbed. "Universe, why do you hate me so much?

he wrapped his arms around his knees and sighed. He let his head rest on his knees, and he closed his eyes. Since there was nothing soft to sleep on, Ratchet knew he'd wake up with his back hurting like hell, but he didn't care. His ears lowered and fell over his knees.

That is how he sat until the morning, a small ball of fluff crying in a corner of a cold room.

The next morning Ratchet's prediction came true, the pain in his back resulted in him barely being able to walk. When he was let out, he limped to the lunchroom for breakfast, but before he could enter the room, someone gave his ear a hard pull.

Ratchet was pulled to the left by his ear, and into a dark corner.

"Hey, freaky.", Lucas greeted him with his hateful smile. "I don't know how stupid you are, so I'll have to ask: did you remember our little 'argument' yesterday about you sitting where you don't belong?"

Ratchet groaned. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, furball, it's time to be sorry. I'll take those ears of yours and we're even. For now."

Lucas gave a hard tug on Ratchet's left ear. "OW!", Ratchet roared.

A few seconds later one of the adults came running around the corner. "What's going on?"

It was silent for a moment, then Lucas suddenly pointed at Ratchet with an innocent face and puppydog-eyes. "Ratchet hit me, ma'am!"

The woman glared at the little Lombax. "Ratchet, say sorry to Lucas."

Ratchet glared at Lucas, who was currently smiling at him with a 'I-did-something-bad-but-I've-put-the-blame-on-you' face.

"Lucas," Ratchet started. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you are such a smug, spoiled little bastard with less intelligence than the average housefly."

...

Ratchet was once again pushed into the 'time-out room'. The concrete room was dark, the only light came trough a tiny window near the ceiling. Ratchet stared at the metal bars, then moved his hand up to block the light. Then he got an idea.

...

Ratchet jumped down when he heard the lock 'click'. "The other kids are playing outside. Join them. And remember: behave. Understood, furball?"

Ratchet nodded.

...

Ratchet walked out of the building into the 'playground': a small 'sand-and-dirt' area, a tall fence preventing the children from escaping. When the other children noticed him, they all froze. Then one of them pointed at Ratchet and yelled "FURRED FREAK!"

Whilst yelling, the other children all ran away from Ratchet. Ratchet sat down on the now empty swing. Staring at the setting sun, he wondered if this was his life: being stuck in an ugly building with bullies, until he'd die of age, starvation, or because of a beating. Thinking about how pointless his life was, how pointless **he** was, a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Oh, look! The furball's crying!", one of the children yelled, and a few seconds later, all children were singing "Weeping little furball! Weeping little furball! Weeping little furball!"

Ratchet flipped them off. The children went silent. He heard a few 'Oh...' and 'Ah...' coming from the small crowd of children, before they all yelled "Sir! Madam! Ratchet is insulting us!"

And Ratchet spent another night in the 'time-out room'.

 _ **{The next morning...}**_

Ratchet walked into the lunchroom, only to find that there was no food for him. Someone stole his plate, and he could guess who. He could only sigh at his stomach's complaining, and he silently muttered "Sorry pal, no food for us today."

When he walked out of the lunchroom after half an hour of doing nothing, he was once again pulled aside by Lucas. This time, he brought a few friends. And a bucket of water.

Lucas' friends grabbed Ratchet's arms and legs, making sure he couldn't get away, while Lucas positioned the bucket under Ratchet's head. When the bucket was in place, he laid a hand on Ratchet's head, but did nothing: no push, no pull, not even an insult.

Then suddenly, he yelled: "Drown the cat!"

He submerged Ratchet's face.

After being dunked underwater for the fifth time, a voice yelled "You guys! What are you doing there?!"

Lucas quickly pulled Ratchet's head up. "Ratchet was trying to drown himself, sir. We were just in time to save him."

The man turned to Lucas' friends. "Is this true?"

They quickly nodded.

The man cleared his throat. "Lucas, you are the orphan of the month. And Ratchet, a week in the time-out room."

" **A week?!** ", Ratchet stammered, still catching his breath. "But they-"

"Saved you, you should thank them. And now, to the time-out room with you."

After he heard the door lock behind him, Ratchet growled from deep within his throat. He was beyond sick of this place and that smug bastard named Lucas. He was going to escape. Tonight.

* * *

"Oh my god, that's horrible!" Angela said when Ratchet paused. She might have looked calm but on the inside she was boiling with rage. Anger at the universe for being so unfair to someone that young. First losing their parents, then having to grow up in a horrible place. But Ratchet's words snapped her from her thoughts and her anger vanished, for she was not mad at Ratchet.

"I know, I really hated that place. Still do. But I've said enough for today, it's getting late and my throat feels dry." Ratchet said.

"Want anything to drink?"

"Just a glass of water, thanks. My stomach's too upset for anything else."

Ratchet sighed. "My life of misery."

"Don't say that! You've got lots of friends, a nice house, and you've even got countless fans! And I doubt we can say the same about that Lucas. I tell you one thing, if I ever come across that bastard I'll strangle him myself."

"Heh, you're not the only one who said those words, but I'm saving that part of the story for tomorrow."

Angela handed him a glass of water. Ratchet slowly drank the water, and when he was done, put the glass on the table and closed his eyes. "Angela, I'm feeling really tired, is it alright if I go to sleep?"

"No, of course not! Sweet dreams."

"Thanks." Ratchet muttered as he fell asleep.

* * *

 **...Yeah... don't say I didn't warn you that there wasn't going to be much kindness for young Ratchet. Don't worry though, that will all change in chapter three, which will be significantly longer.**


	3. A new begin

**Aaand... the story is officially getting up to speed, with over 4000 word chapters incoming! I've already finished up to chapter five of this story, and chapter four will be posted this Saturday.  
**

 **Anyhow, reviews!**

 **Destiny W: "** ** _I really hope that Lucas kid gets what's coming to him, what a jerk! I can't wait to read more. : )_ "  
Ooh... well, let's say that he'll pay... eventually... Anyhow, wait no more, the next chapter is here. Enjoy!**

 **zenith88: "** ** _Amazing chapter and very well written. Man that Lucas is really a pain in the ass and i can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter._ "  
Thank you! And about what happens in this chapter... read to find out! :)**

 **Max Chronicle: "** ** _WHAT! (Continues holding out what until I run out of breath)  
Boom. That was awesome.  
Ratchet, I'm sorry that not only Lucas, but the "Wardens" (Yeah right) are a bunch of incompetent buffoons with less intelligence that your average housefly. Personally, you should flip them off too. Like a boss.  
Can't wait for chapter 3.  
Max out.  
P.S. "...and you've even got countless fans!..." AND I"M ONE OF THEM!_"  
Your review really made me laugh. In fact, it still does. Anyhow, thank you for the review, and I hope you'll enjoy chapter three!  
P.S. I'M ONE OF THEM AS WELL! I'm going to the R&C movie as soon as it's in the cinema's. (plus one week so it'll be less crowded in the cinema)**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _Man, the treatment Ratchet got was horrible! Bad Lucas, go to the time out room for a month!_ "  
A month? You're too kind, remember that the guy tried to _kill_ Ratchet. Let's see... Lucas, go to the time out room for... ONE HUNDRED MILLION YEARS! JK, but that guy will get what's coming to him eventually. Luckily, Ratchet's life is about to get a whole lot better. Enjoy!**

 **The Machine: "** ** _Stupid Lucas... he should be arrested for trying to drown poor Ratchet! LUCAS IS STUPIDER THAN THE STUPIDEST RAT IN THE UNIVERSE!_ "  
Rats certainly aren't the dumbest creatures out there... flies, perhaps? Still, you're more than correct, and trust me when I say that that guy will get what he deserves... eventually.**

 **vengarl22: "** ** _Damn that was just sad gee thanks jk but still very sad_ "  
I know, right? Luckily, Ratchet's life is about to get a whole lot better.**

* * *

Ratchet slowly woke up. He yawned and stretched his muscles, only to stop immediately and groan in pain. He heard a noise upstairs, and two seconds later a worried looking Angela came running down the stairs. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... yeah... I'm starving, but other than that, I'm still alive, eh?"

"Thank god. Would you like anything to eat?"

"Hmm... nah, my stomach's too upset."

"But you need salt and, more importantly, sugar. Hang on, I've got an idea."

Angela walked into the kitchen, only to return holding a white cup. She placed it on the coffee table, in front of Ratchet. "Here. This is water mixed with salt and sugar. Promise me that, from time to time, you'll take a spoon full of it and drop it on the inside of your cheek. Don't touch it with your tongue, and you'll be fine."

Ratchet smiled. "Clever. And thank you."

"No problem."

"Shall I continue my story?"

Angela sat down on a chair across from him. "Yes, please!"

"Alright then. After they had pushed me into the time-out room..."

* * *

Ratchet threw one last punch at the already weakened bars. He'd already used his nails to weaken the bars, but now, after weakening and punching them all night long, the bars finally admitted defeat. Being a feline, Ratchet could jump higher than most other kids, and the time-out room wasn't designed for Lombaxes, so climbing out of the window was no problem.

Ratchet walked to the other side of the room and pulled a brick out of the wall. He'd noticed this loose brick weeks ago, and he used the hole to hide his OmniWrench 8000 and leather cap, two of the few things he owned, so he could pick them up the night he made his escape.

Ratchet quickly hid in a nearby bush. Checking his surroundings, he made sure nobody was around. He quickly ran to the fence and started to dig as fast as he could. Just when the hole was big enough for him to crawl trough, he was spotted.

" **Hey!** What are you doing there?!", an angry female voice yelled at him in the distance.

" _Screw you. Screw all of you!_ ", Ratchet thought. He quickly crawled through the hole, under the fence, and ran as fast as he could towards the rising sun.

However, being up all night long, Ratchet was beyond exhausted, though he kept running as fast as his legs could carry him.

He saw a glistering in the distance, and ran straight at it. When he got closer, he could see that it was a ship. A humanoid figure was standing near it.

Feeling more exhausted by the second, Ratchet was at breaking point. Even worse, behind him in the distance, he could hear the sound of an engine. Some of the orphanage's people were coming after him.

He kept running and running, though. When he got even closer, he got a better look of the figure standing near the ship. It appeared to be looking at some blueprints. It was a pale-skinned five-fingered humanoid alien. It had brown hair, but only on his head, When he got even closer, the figure seemed to hear the Lombax child's footsteps. It turned around.

It was clearly male. It had round ears and kind, brown eyes, and a confused expression on his face.

When Ratchet was ten meters away from the man, he tripped over his own feet. Feeling his every muscle burn with exhaustion and hearing the sounds of the engine in the distance getting louder and louder, he could only pray that whoever that person was, he wouldn't let the orphanage's people take Ratchet back to that awful place.

He could hear the pale skinned alien's footsteps, indicating that it was approaching Ratchet. When the footsteps stopped, Ratchet summoned every last bit of strength. "Please, sir, don't let them take me. Please, I beg you..." he manged to mutter. The last thing Ratchet felt before he passed out due to exhaustion was two strong arms carefully picking him up.

 _{...}_

Ratchet slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed. The warm blanket covering his body was deep blue in color. After ten minutes of looking around the room he was in, a somewhat large room with a space-background (the walls were practically a panorama view of a night sky on a faraway planet, with many stars, galaxies, nebulae and even three moons visible. Ratchet looked to his left, and saw one of the few things he owned: his OmniWrench 8000

Ratchet could hear the door open, and he quickly hid underneath the blanket.

He could hear footsteps. Whoever just entered the room, it was walking towards him. Fast.

Ratchet bit his lip and held his breath.

"Hey there, buddy. Why are you hiding under that blanket?", a male voice said.

Ratchet didn't answer. Needless to say, he was frightened. He could feel the blanket being pulled away. Ratchet tried to pull it back, but he wasn't strong enough. With the blanket gone, he could see who spoke to him earlier. It was the stranger that he saw standing next to a ship when he was trying to escape from the orphanage. Ratchet finally got a good look at him.

It closely resembled a Markazian, Lucas' species, though it had round ears instead of pointy ones. However, it could still be a deformed Markazian, and with Ratchet's previous experiences with Markazians, he was very careful.

When the creature moved closer, Ratchet stood up and hugged the wall, a frightened look in his small green eyes.

"Why are you so scared?", it asked.

Again, Ratchet didn't move nor reply. It just kept staring at the stranger.

"You spoke to me earlier, when you were running away from the orphanage's people, but since then, you haven't spoken a word. Did I accidentally leave your tongue behind back there?", it asked. It had a friendly, calm voice.

Ratchet shook his head.

"Still no words?", the creature said with a worried look in it's eyes. "In that case, I'm going to call the hospital, alright?", it said, turning around and walking towards the door.

"Icanspeakyouknow!", Ratchet quickly shouted.

The creature stopped and turned around. "Did you just say something?"

Ratchet nodded, still keeping as much distance between him and the stranger as possible.

The stranger sighed in relief. "Thank god, I was getting worried."

It walked towards Ratchet. The little Lombax's eyes widened. "Stop!", Ratchet yelled.

The stranger stopped. "Why are you so scared of me?"

"That's none of your business! Who are you?! Where am I?!"

The stranger grabbed a nearby chair and sat down. "My name is Simon. Simon Polaris. You are currently in my house, in my guest room. You looked so tired back then, I figured you could use a comfortable bed."

Ratchet looked around the room. Was he really in this 'Simon' figure's house?

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Well, when you were running towards me earlier, it was pretty obvious that whoever you were running from, you didn't want them to bring you back to the orphanage, so I hid you from them and brought you here. However, if you're so scared of me that you won't even let me get near you, I think it's better if I call the orphanage and have them pick you up, 'cause this is not going to work."

It stood up and walked towards the door. "Wait!", Ratchet frantically yelled. If there's one thing he didn't want, it was going back to the orphanage. It didn't stop. Ratchet ran after him, and pulled on it's leg. It looked down at the little Lombax. "Yes?"

"Please don't let them take me...", Ratchet pleaded.

It smiled. "Don't worry, I won't. I was merely provoking a response. In fact, you were running so fast and looked so exhausted, I bet that whatever happened to you there was horrible."

Ratchet nodded. "The kids were really mean! They all called me names, and a few even hit me!"

It growled. "The bastards! How **dare** they?!"

" _It thinks that what happened to me is horrible? Perhaps he isn't like Lucas._ ", Ratchet thought. And there was only one way to know for certain.

"They even tried to **kill** me once, mister, and the boy that bullied me and tried to kill me is your race, that's why I was scared of you."

Ratchet never saw someone this angry. "One of the kids tried to **kill** you?! If I ever see him, I swear to god that I'll strangle the little bastard!"

It took a few deep breaths. "You say he was my race? Did he have pointy ears?"

Ratchet nodded.

"In that case, he wasn't my race. He was a Markazian, while I'm a Human. Markazians are creatures native to planet Markazia, while Humans are native to planet Earth. In fact, Humans are very rare in Solana galaxy: as far as I know, I'm the only one that ever left Earth's solar system, the Sol system. Anyway, you don't have to be scared of me, little one. I'll **never** hurt an innocent being, especially a child."

"You're not going to hurt me?", Ratchet asked.

It got down on one knee, bringing himself to Ratchet's eye level. He pet the child. "I swear on my life that I'll never hurt you."

It stood up. "Well, care for some breakfast?"

Ratchet nodded. "Mister?"

"Yes?"

Ratchet hugged it's leg. "Thank you so much!", he cried out, a single tear escaping his eye.

It got down on a knee again, and wiped the tear off Ratchet's muzzle. It smiled. "Anytime, little one. Oh, and by the way, please don't call me 'Mister' or 'Sir', my name is Simon, remember?"

The little Lombax nodded. "Right."

"What's your name, buddy?"

"Ratchet."

"Ratchet, huh? What a nice name!"

The Lombax kid smiled. "Thanks!"

Simon smiled. "Care for a ride?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see soon enough."

Simon suddenly lifted Ratchet off the ground. The little Lombax yelped. "Hey! Let me go!"

Simon stopped moving Ratchet, holding the Lombax at eye level. "Do you **really** want me to let you go?"

Ratchet looked down. "Erm... no."

Simon nodded, and moved Ratchet even higher, much to the Lombax' annoyance.

Before Ratchet even realized what his new friend was up to, he was sitting on Simon's shoulders. " **This** is what I meant!"

Ratchet looked down, and immediately wrapped his arms around Simon's neck.

"Ack! Not so tight, Ratchet, I can't breathe!"

Ratchet immediately stopped with accidentally strangling his new friend.

"Ah, that's better. Anyway, like the view up there?"

Ratchet giggled. "It's awesome! I'm so tall!"

Simon smiled mischievously. He suddenly started to walk, though, Simon's legs being much longer than Ratchet's, to Ratchet, it was like sprinting. "Yahoo!", The tiny Lombax cheered.

* * *

After walking around with Ratchet on his shoulders for half an hour, the constant weight of the Lombax on his shoulders was starting to annoy his shoulders, so Simon carefully put Ratchet down again. They then walked to the kitchen, where he started to make breakfast for Ratchet.

Said little Lombax, who was used to cheap junk, was exited to see what his new (and only, I know it's sad) friend was making for him.

After one minute the most delicious scent reached Ratchet's sensitive nose. He squealed in delight. "It smells so delicious!", he commented.

Simon smiled. "Kinda hoped you'd say that."

After a few minutes Simon turned off the stove. He picked a plate from a cupboard and carefully laid the pan's contents on the plate, before turning to his hungry little friend.

"Here.", He said as he put the plate down on the table in front of Ratchet, who already sat down. "I hope you'll like it."

Ratchet stared at his breakfast. Was _**this**_ what he was going to get for breakfast?!

" **Bacon and eggs?!** " The little Lombax cried out.

"...Yeah?", Simon replied.

A giant smile exploded on Ratchet's face. " **Awesome! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!** "

Simon smiled. "You're most welcome, my friend. Now, don't let your breakfast get cold."

The first bite of his breakfast was probably the best thing Ratchet had tasted in his life so far. The little Lombax squealed in delight. "Mmm... It's so delicious!"

Simon, who was leaning against the fridge, smiled. "Glad you like it!"

"Like it? That's an unter... undet... undetstate..."

"An understatement?"

Ratchet smiled, and nodded. "That, yes."

* * *

Simon smiled as he was busy making dinner. Ratchet was overjoyed when he showed the little Lombax the few toys he had lying around in the attic. Apparently the Lombax didn't seem to mind that they were broken and dusty. He frowned. " _He was_ _ **overjoyed**_ _when I gave him_ _ **broken and dusty**_ _toys? It's like he never had a toy!_ "

Simon shook his head. " _Poor little guy. Tomorrow, I'll go to Kerwan and get him some proper toys._ "

He turned off the stove and moved their dinner to the dinner table. He then walked up the stairs, into the guest room. He opened the door. Ratchet was moving an old, plasic spaceship through the room. Time had left it's marks on the toy: the paint was almost gone and one of it's wings was missing. Nevertheless, Ratchet was overjoyed.

"Ratchet?"

The little Lombax stopped moving the ship around the room, pretending that it was an actual ship flying through space (which was rather easy considering the room's walls were decorated with a spacescape), and looked at Simon. "Yes?"

"I hate to interrupt your top-secret very important deep-space mission, but dinner's ready, captain."

Ratchet smiled at his friend's playfulness. "You know that I was just pretending, right?"

Simon laughed. "Ratchet, the only limit to what you can do and what you cannot do is your own imagination. If you imagine you're flying a spaceship through space, you **are** flying a spaceship through in space, in your head and in your heart. Now, you coming, capt'n?"

Ratchet grinned. "Sure!"

* * *

"And, Ratchet? In your opinion, is what I made edible?"

"You kidding? It's delicious!"

Simon smiled. Then his smile disappeared. "Ratchet, there are a few things I need to talk to you about."

"Shoot."

"Well, I haven't adopted you, so I'm not sure if what I'm doing is legal. You can stay here for the night, but tomorrow-"

Ratchet's ears drooped. "Oh. I understand.", he interrupted. "Sorry if I'm too much trouble, and I'll leave tomorrow."

"Ratchet", Simon said, somewhat surprised. "Why do you say you're leaving tomorrow? I meant that tomorrow we either have to say goodbye, or I have to adopt you. However, since I'm not entirely sure if taking you in like this is legal, we'll have to come up with a believable story."

Ratchet was baffled. "You're seriously considering to adopt me?"

"Sure. In fact, I bet you're the best raised kid in the orphanage you've escaped from. Anyhow, here is the story I came up with. If anyone asks, stick to this story: I found you, dehydrated, starved and unconscious in the Veldinian desert, under the burning sun. That's why I took you home, gave you something to eat and drink, and let you stay for the day so you could regain your strength. However, I don't want to say goodbye, do you?"

"No! Today was the best day of my life!"

Inside, Simon flinched. " _The best day of his life is waking up in a stranger's house who then threatens to call the orphanage, and playing with some broken and dusty toys? This guy's had one hell of a life._ "

Then, inside he smiled. " _Let's change that last part._ ", he thought.

Simon smiled. "In that case, I've made up my mind. Tomorrow, I'm going to adopt you."

Ratchet jumped down from his chair and ran to his friend and soon-to-be family. Simon knew what was coming, so when Ratchet got close enough, he lifted the child off the ground and onto his lap, so the Lombax could hug him instead of his leg.

"Thank you so much!", Ratchet cried out in pure happiness.

"No, thank you, Ratchet."

Ratchet broke the embrace. "Why thank me?"

Simon smiled. "One, for giving me something, or rather _someone_ , to live for. Two, for being such a friendly, well-raised, adorable little buddy."

He lifted the Lombax off his lap, and helped the child climb back on it's chair. "Anyway, for this to work, stick to the story. Do you remember what I told you?"

"Yes. You found me, tedydrated, starfed and unconscious in the desert so you brought me to your home and gave me something to eat and drink and helped me get my strength back."

Simon shrugged. "Good enough."

* * *

Simon helped Ratchet climb into his bed. Since the guest bed was designed for an adult, Ratchet couldn't climb in on his own, so Simon helped him. After Ratchet was tucked in, Simon walked towards the door. "Goodnight, Ratchet."

Ratchet smiled. "Goodnight.", he replied. When Simon was about to go through the door, Ratchet noticed the bookcase, or more specifically, the books it contained. "Simon?"

Simon's head appeared in the doorway. "yes?"

Ratchet bit his lip. "Uhm... this may sound a bit awkward and immature, but could you read me a bedtime story? Nobody ever did that for me. Not really. Some of the boys that I shared a room with in the orphanage told me 'stories' when I was trying to sleep, but those weren't nice stories, but stories full of ghosts and other creepy things. Some even included me dieing in many slow, painful deaths."

Simon walked back into the room, and sat down on the bed. "Ratchet, what those monsters did to you is so low that I want to lock them up in a graveyard at a stormy night after telling them a story that will make them so scared that their blood practically freezes, see how they like it, the bastards."

Simon sighed. "Anyhow, sure, I'll read you a bedtime story if you want me to."

He stood up and walked over to the bookcase. "Hmm... Sorry, Ratchet, these aren't bedtime stories. However, I have a huge library called my imagination. Perhaps in that library is a book you'll like, hold on.

Simon started to act like he was searching through imaginary bookshelves, making Ratchet laugh. After a minute, Simon stopped, moved a chair next to Ratchet's bed, and sat down.

"I got a story that I think you'll like, here goes."

Simon cleared his throat. "There once was a guy and his name was Benny. The end."

Ratchet burst out laughing. "You call that a story?"

Simon pulled an offended face. " _This is going_ _ **exactly**_ _the way I thought it would!_ ", he thought. "You think you can do better, Ratchet?"

The little Lombax thought for a few moments. "Nope."

Simon smiled. "I was just joking, Ratchet. All kidding aside, I do have a story that I think you'll like."

Simon cleared his throat once again. "Ratchet, tell me, did you ever watch the stars?"

"A star? What is that?"

" _Poor kid. Hang on, when he was playing with that old plastic spaceship model earlier... how could he be moving it through space if he doesn't know what stars are? Does he even know what the cosmos is?_ ", Simon thought. He smiled. " _Let's tell him about the cosmos then. Some say I have a knack for storytelling, let's see if they were correct._ "

He cleared his throat. "At night, when it's very dark, you can see the stars in the sky. You see, we are currently on a giant, rocky ball. This ball has many high mountains and hills, and even a small body of water here and there. This rocky ball is called Veldin. When we jump, we do not float away, right?"

"Right. We fall back to the ground."

"Exactly. This is because of gravity. You see, everything has it's own gravity: you, I, an apple, a book, but the gravity of these small objects is far too weak to attract anything. However, the heavier an object, the stronger it's gravity. A boulder one hundred times the size of the orphanage has enough power to attract tiny pebbles. These rocks are around twenty kilometers across. However, planets and their smaller cousins, dwarfplanets, have enough gravity for people to stand and walk on them without floating away. These giant boulders are so incredibly large, most planets are thousands of kilometers across. My home planet, for example, is around 12.8 thousand kilometers across. These planets weigh so much that it forces the planet into a ball-like shape, while the gravity of asteroids, smaller boulders floating through space, is not strong enough to force them into a ball-like shape. Asteroids are practically giant rocky space potatoes."

The little Lombax laughed. Simon continued his story. "You see, there are many of these round balls known as planets that you can land and walk around on. However, these planets move as well, and that's where the stars enter the story again. Most stars are millions of times larger than all of their planets, dwarf planets and asteroids combined, and because of this, stars are so massive that it's own gravity crushes it. This makes the center of the star very hot. So hot, that it explodes. However, it's own gravity will keep it together. These explosions make the stars shine brightly and give off a lot of heat. The sun is also a star, you see. It is incredibly far away from Veldin, and that's a good thing: if Veldin was too close, standing on Veldin would be like being stuck in an oven, while if Veldin was too far away, standing on it without **very** thick clothing would freeze you immediately. Luckily, Veldin is in the perfect place, the place around the sun where it's neither too hot nor too cold for you and me.

When the sun disappears below the horizon, it gets dark. This is because all the daylight is coming from the sun. When it disappears below the horizon, it takes the light with it. At night, we're actually in Veldin's shadow. At night, you can see trillions of stars. They cannot be seen during the day because the sun is so bright, it overshines the other stars. And about those countless stars, most stars have planets around them that you can visit one day, and some even have people living on them.

Stars, however, come in groups. These giant groups of stars are called galaxies. Galaxies are usually unimaginably far away from each other, though there is an unimaginably huge amount of galaxies that we know of, and an even bigger amount of galaxies that we do not know, and each galaxy has at least a million stars and billions of planets."

Ratchet listened closely. "So, there are many Veldins out there?"

"Sort of. Every planet is different, though there are many planets out there that are a lot like Veldin. Though, in the end, there's only one Veldin."

Ratchet's jaw dropped. "Can we please go see the stars and the other planets?"

"Not now, my friend, but tomorrow, we might visit another planet. For now, there is something you can do. You can visit many different planets _right now_."

"What? How?!"

"Close your eyes and clear your mind."

Ratchet closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Now imagine the coolest spaceship ever."

Simon could see that Ratchet was listening, for the Lombax smiled, proud of his imaginary creation. "That is your ship. Get in, start your ship, and you're free to go."

He got up, walked towards the door, and turned off the lights. "Fly safe, Ratchet."

Ratchet didn't answer, he was already asleep.

Simon smiled. " _He's rather cute when he sleeps. Actually, he's cute all the time. I wonder why they bullied such an adorable child, both in appearance and personality. I mean, he's neither ugly nor mean. Anyway, I'll have to go to the orphanage that, based off what I heard from Ratchet, closely resembles a prison, to fill in the adoption papers. Ratchet did escape, though, so I should be careful: possibly some of the other kids can't stand the fact that he outsmarted them, so some might try anything stupid. As his guardian, it's my duty to protect him. And that is exactly what I'm going to do_.", he thought as he stepped into bed.

" _Damn, one day and I want to adopt him already. Even better, one day and I already think like a parent._ "

* * *

"That was my first dream about planets. I still remember it, I recall flying past giant orange, green and blue balls with lots of lights in the distance... which sounds like a basic description of space."

Unknown to Ratchet, the name 'Simon Polaris' had been a punch in the gut to Angela, but she didn't show it.

Ratchet cleared his throat. "Is it alright if I continue the story later today?"

"Of course not!"

Ratchet nodded. "Alright, thanks."

"How are you feeling?"

"Nauseous, but that was to be expected."

"Yeah... sadly."

Ratchet groaned as his stomach felt really awkward for a sec. He chuckled. "You know, I still wonder what is out there. Who knows all the things that have yet to be discovered? Who know what miracles the universe still has in store for us?"

"Beautifully said."

"Thanks. I mean, perhaps there are other Lombaxes out there, Lombaxes who do not know that Tachyon has been defeated, Lombaxes who do not know that Fastoon is alive and inhabited once again."

Angela bit her lip. "Yeah, there are probably some Lombaxes still oblivious of the return of their race."

"Let's hope they'll find their way home."

"Indeed. Well, would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I do need to use the bathroom though, could you help me get up?"

Angela hurried over to him and helped her sick friend get up. "Thanks." Ratchet replied and started to walk towards the hall.

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

"I may be sick, but I'm not _that_ sick. I can still walk."

"I don't care what you can or can't do right now, you're not leaving this planet until you're better."

"I know, I know." Ratchet's voice came from down the hallway. Then Angela heard a door lock.

She walked over to the kitchen and, after washing her hands, made herself a cup of tea. She sat down on a chair in her living room from which she could look outside, at the small oasis her house was built in. She smiled. The dense forest may not be the best view, but it was wonderful nevertheless. Especially the sun's golden rays shining through the leaves of the trees in the evening was breathtaking, and gave everything in her house a warm, golden color.

But in case she wanted to see the scenery, her house was built at the foot of a rocky hill that was too high for the trees to keep up. She originally wanted a staircase to save costs, but Ratchet insisted on covering the costs for an elevator out of safety, Ratchet knew well enough that wet rock was very slippery, and the thought of Angela slipping on the long staircase and falling down said long set of stairs was a nightmare to Ratchet.

Angela stared at the scenery, lost in thought. She thought about everything Ratchet had told her. She thought about everything that had happened. She thought about Ratchet, Clank, Hypernova, and their adventure together. The thought of the hero in white brought a strange feeling of sadness to her. She didn't know him that well, but she did trust him, and he was a friend to her. But what caught her eye is that, to Ratchet, he had quickly become a father-like figure, and she wondered why that is. She thought about Ratchet's parents, and at what Ratchet had told her: how a hologram of Hypernova had guided him to a distant asteroid, and revealed that Ratchet's parents as well as all Lombaxes that had died during Tachyon's attack were in fact alive.

" _But why haven't I heard anything about my parents then? Was I forgotten?_ "

Angela knew for sure that her parents had died. She had no memories of her childhood before she had been sent to Grelbin so she would be safe. She had always thought her parents to be lost, that is, until she met her parents when she was a teenager. They were dying when she had met them, and Angela had been with them until the very end.

The sound of a door unlocking woke her from her thoughts, and she quickly wiped away a few tears. While she never said it, she really, really missed her parents. " _It's not fair._ " She thought.

She shook her head and turned her attention to Ratchet, who as entering the room again. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah. I still feel awful, just a tiny bit less."

Angela shook her head. "Shall I continue my story?" Ratchet offered.

"Nah, you should take some rest."

Ratchet yawned. "Good idea. May I take a nap?"

"Of course, silly!"

Ratchet nodded. He lay down on the couch, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Angela watched his chest rise and fall with each breath he took. " _Be safe, Ratchet._ " she thought has she drank the rest of her tea.

* * *

 **Wooo, new mysteries! Of course, all questions will be answered as the story progresses. Well, maybe not every question, but when the series has ended, every question will have been answered.  
**

 **About that, I am designing a sequel series to Epilogue. I will not share the plot though. In fact, I won't leak anything about it. I will say this though: based off the success of the series, I will choose wether or not to write the sequel series. But that's something for the future.**

 **For now, thank you for reading, and (hopefully) see you next chapter.**


	4. A family

**As promised, here is the new chapter! I uploaded this ASAP so I have the rest of the day to work on a few projects: a way overdue 3D render of the Tempalo galaxy from the story To Travel The Days by fellow author Max Chronicle, my entry for a contest held by Airbax on DeviantArt, some half-finished drawings made in GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)...**

 **Anyhow, reviews:**

 **Destiny W: "** ** _I loved this chapter; it was very heartwarming. :)_ "  
Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter like you enjoyed the last one.**

 **Max Chronicle: "** ** _SIMON! (Continues screaming name. Then takes several deep breaths when finished)  
Dude, yeeessss. Anyway, way to go, this chapter gave poor kid Ratchet what he needed. Now all we need is for Lucas to get what he needs, then we're good.  
Brilliantly done as always, and I look forward to Saturday.  
Max out_"  
Well, today's Saturday, so guess what? Indeed, it's here! Enjoy!**

 **zenith88: "** ** _This. Was. Super. Awesome. Seriously. I just can't wait to see what happens when the two go to the orphanage, like the face from that Markazian guy whos name i just forgot writing this review;). Just another thing: Simon is Hypernova, right? If that's so, did he straight recognise Ratchet as Kaden's son? Because if he's Hypernova he must know that there are almost no lombaxes left in this Dimension. And another thing i don't understand is: in the first story it seems as Angela didn't know her parents because she seemed puzzeled when Hypernova called her Lorna (but i'm really not sure about that because it's too long ago since i read that part of Epilogue). However i can't wait for the next chapter but since it's almost Saturday, it's gladly not too long to wait._ "  
Thank you! As for what happens at the orphanage, I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see. As for your next question, Simon is indeed Hypernova, but Ratchet didn't know that, hence why he was so surprised at the ending of Epilogue 1. As for the first meeting between Simon and Ratchet, there's something about that at the ending of this chapter, their first meeting from Simon's perspective. As for Angela being puzzled about her past, that she met her parents didn't mean that she knew her second name. Perhaps she knew her mother's name, but for all she knew she could have had a completely different second name. And today's Saturday, so enjoy!**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _Lucas should be locked in the time out room for over 99 quadrillion years! Awesome, no unbelievably infinitely beyond amazing chapter, by the way!_ "  
99 quadrillion years? That's more than the current estimated age of the whole universe (just over 13 billion years)! 99 quadrillion years from the beginning of time... you'd end up beyond the time that there are stars in the universe (trillions of years)! That is one darn long time to be locked inside a room... And thank you for the compliment, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much!**

 **Alright, all reviews have been replied to, so there is only one thing left to say: enjoy!**

* * *

Ratchet woke up with a loud yawn, and stretched his tired muscles. Immediately his stomach started to complain about the lack of food. " _Stupid stomach._ " Ratchet thought. " _First throwing everything back out, then begging for food? I bet that as soon as I eat something it'll come right back out._ "

He shook his head, and looked around. Judging by the sound of talking coming from the kitchen, Angela was on the phone.

"...Yes. Yes. No, it'll be alright. I've studied biology, you see. While I became a geneticist, I do know a lot about medicines, and I even know how to get someone's heart beating again in case a person has a heart attack. I'm basically the medic where I work, something like this will be easy. Yes, I've dealt with worse conditions. Thanks again. Bye!"

A few seconds later she came walking in. "That was the doctor. According to him it's nothing serious, just a really bad case of the flu, and since the flu is quite rare on Veldin, it may take a bit longer for your body to get rid of it since it has almost never contracted the disease and thus knows very little about it."

"True." Ratchet replied. "I rarely ever have the flu, when I'm sick it's the heatwave, a disease most common on warm planets. People suffering from the disease-"

"Often faint and feel very, very tired. I know." Angela cut him off. "But there are more important things right now. How are you feeling?"

"I... I honestly would like to eat something."

Angela smiled. "That's really good! I'll go get you something to eat."

Angela walked into her kitchen, and Ratchet could hear the sound of drawers being opened and closed.

"Should I continue my story in the meantime?" he asked.

"Yes please!" Angela's voice came from the kitchen.

"Alrighty then. When I woke up..."

* * *

Ratchet slowly opened his eyes. He looked around the room. At first, he didn't recognize his surroundings, but then he remembered what happened the day before. " _So it wasn't a dream..._ " he thought, hopping out of bed. He didn't even care that he had been wearing the same clothes for two days now.

He walked down the stairs, but started to run to the kitchen when the most delicious scent reached his sensitive nose. He ran into the kitchen and jumped onto his chair with his strong, feline legs.

Simon, who was taking something from the fridge, turned around. "Now _someone_ is exited! Are you that hungry?"

Ratchet opened his mouth to answer, but his stomach was quicker, growling loudly before the Lombax could even begin to speak. Ratchet closed his mouth again. He blushed lightly, slightly embarrassed, and his ears dropped a bit.

Simon smiled warmly. "Ah, I see. Well, you've got excellent timing, breakfast is almost ready."

* * *

Ratchet stood in the hallway, waiting for Simon, who was still grabbing a few things such as his keys. When the Human joined his Lombax friend, Simon opened the door, and Ratchet realized that in the day he'd spent here, he never looked out the window.

" _Shame I didn't see this earlier._ " he thought, when he saw the magnificent landscape.

Simon's house was built on one of Veldin's higher mountains. It was one hundred kilometers from the Kyzil Plateau, where the orphanage was. The top of the mountain was relatively flat, with an orange stone wall that reached to Simon's waist and Ratchet's head that prevented people from falling off. The center of the flat area had been transformed into an oasis, with a large, crystal clear lake. A few parts of the original mountain's peak had been left intact, said parts reaching up to high above their heads. Metal beams supporting a giant sail went from peak to peak. Because of this, the whole place was in a cool shadow. There was one giant gap in the sail above the water.

When Ratchet looked better he saw that there was no gap in the sail, the orange sail was just transparent there, letting light (and infrared light that warmed the water) through. There was in fact no risk of falling off the mountain, for there was also transparent sail attached to the stone wall that went all the way up to the orange sail. It was like they were in a giant biodome on top of one of Veldin's higher mounatins. Needless to say, Ratchet's mouth dropped.

Simon stood behind him. "I hope you like it?"

Ratchet chuckled. "Like it? This place is awesome!"

Simon smiled. He picked Ratchet up and let the little Lombax sit on his shoulders. He then walked to one of the 'orange spikes' that supported the metal beams that in turn supported the giant sail that kept the place at a comfortable temperature. When he got closer, Ratchet saw that there was a small metal button, somewhat like a doorbell. Simon pressed the button, and a door opened in the 'spike'. There was an elevator inside. Simon put Ratchet back down, and together they walked into the elevator.

When the elevator stopped, it's metal doors opened to reveal a large hangar under the oasis. In the center of the hangar, the roof was made of glass, showing the bottom of the oasis' pool. Ratchet could see that the bottom of the pool was natural formation, and filled with plants. Simon followed his smaller friend's gaze. "Incredible, isn't it? However, the plants are artificial. There are no bacteria or animals in the water, and the same goes for real plants."

Ratchet then looked around the hangar. It was filled with several vehicles: a few cool-looking fighters, one small and one large cargo ship, and a few weird vehicles on four wheels. Simon gestured the little Lombax to follow him, and together they walked to a blue, four-wheeled vehicle. Simon opened the front doors. He walked to the right side of the vehicle and moved the chair up a bit. He then helped Ratchet sit down. He walked to the left side of the car and got in himself, behind the steering wheel.

"What kind of vehicle is _this_?" Ratchet asked.

Simon fastened his and Ratchet's seatbelts. He then pressed his index finger onto some sort of touch screen in the middle of the dashboard. The screen lit up. Simon pressed a red button (that, after he touched it, turned green), and the vehicle started to hum and vibrate lightly.

"This, Ratchet, is a car I've built by myself. It ran on gasoline at first, but I've managed to install a stronger engine that runs on electricity. When it's battery is about to run out of power, it has a tank full of hydrogen that it can use to generate power. Trust me, this car can go faster than standard spacecrafts when moving over flat terrain."

"Whoa, can we go that fast?"

Simon grinned. "I hoped you'd ask."

He drove the car to some sort of large elevator that brought them down to ground level. They drove through a short tunnel before the door in front of them opened.

They drove into the Veldin desert, the airconditioning keeping the inside of the car at a comfortable temparature, even for the furred Lombax. In the mirror attached to his side of the car, he could see the door close behind them. They closed so perfectly that it looked like there never even was a door.

Simon accelerated, and they shot through the desert at 200 kilometers per hour. Ratchet quickly got bored of the desert. "Simon, is there something I can do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm getting bored. I mean, I love how fast we're going right now, but the desert isn't that fun to look at."

Simon nodded towards the touchscreen. "Try to touch the icon with the word 'Radio' underneath it. Don't worry, you can't accidentally turn off the car. The car can only be turned off when it's not moving, you see."

Ratchet nodded. Like Simon said, he tapped the icon with 'Radio' underneath it. He searched through the options, before deciding to just tap one. The car started to play music, and to Ratchet's surprise, he liked it. "House of Synth, huh? Good choice!" Simon commented.

Ratchet smiled. He closed his eyes and relaxed, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.

* * *

Ratchet woke up when something tickled him. He couldn't help but laugh and say "Stop!".

Then he finally opened his eyes. He looked at Simon, who quickly hid his hands behind his back with an innocent smile. "Ah, you're finally awake! Orvus, you're hard to wake up! Anyway, we're here."

Ratchet looked through the front window. Immediately he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. They were parked near the orphanage, and he could see kids playing outside.

Simon got out of the car and walked over to Ratchet's door. He opened the door. "Hey buddy, you coming?"

Ratchet shook his head. "Aww, don't worry pal. They won't harm you, I'll make sure of that."

Ratchet still wasn't sure. "Can I hold your hand?", the small Lombax asked.

His larger, Human friend smiled. "Of course you can."

* * *

They walked through the orphanage's gate after it had been opened by one of the adults. When the kids noticed Ratchet, they all yelled "Aaah! It's a very ugly monster!"

They all ran away and hid behind whatever they could find. Ratchet's ears drooped. "See? they hate me."

As if on cue, one of the kids yelled to Simon: "Sir! Can't you dump that monster somewhere?"

Simon completely ignored the kid. "Ratchet, ignore them. They aren't worth your time nor your attention." he whispered.

One of the kids tried to throw a rock at Ratchet's head. Simon caught it before it could harm his friend, though. He glared at the boy who threw it with such disgust in his stare that it could melt trough solid concrete. They walked further towards the door, and Simon had to catch three more projectiles that were supposed to hit Ratchet. When he caught a fourth one, he stopped walking and turned around. "Really? And you mean little cowards wonder why you never get adopted?", he yelled to the kids that threw the rocks at them.

"Why are we cowards, sir?" a somewhat brave (or should I say, foolish) kid yelled back.

"Because you think you're very brave by trying to attack, but still, you're hiding. You are all weak cowards."

He caught another rock, though this one was aimed at Simon instead of Ratchet. He stared at the boy who threw it. " **You disgust me.** ", he said, voice dripping with venom. He turned around, and together with Ratchet, they entered the orphanage.

Being inside the orphanage once again sent shivers down Ratchet's spine: he hated this place. Together, he and Simon walked to the director's office. The director was a fat, sweaty Markazian with a tiny mustache. He told them that Ratchet could not join them when signing the adoption papers. However, there was something Ratchet could do.

When he saw who was coming to come with him to collect his few belongings, his heart stopped. It was Mr. Norkan, the most feared man in the orphanage. He was known for his violent behavior, but because he was the only one the children truly listened to, they had to keep him so he could break up fights and arguments. Unfortunately, he usually solved arguments and fights by punching all participants in the gut, forcing them to stop talking or fighting.

Sadly, Ratchet had no choice but follow the brute to his belongings. To Ratchet's surprise, the man seemed to act... nice. He didn't even threaten to exterminate the little Lombax, while he'd usually threaten to wipe out a child's entire race.

When they reached Ratchet's previous (shared) bedroom, he dropped the act. He slammed the door shut and threw Ratchet against the wall. "Listen up, furball. Guess who had to repair the fence and the window of the time-out room after your little stunt?"

Ratchet was really scared at first, but then he remembered Simon's words. " _They won't harm you, I'll make sure of that._ "

Ratchet frowned "Well, good! That place was _begging_ for a good tune-up."

Norkan growled. "Don't get smart with me, dwarf. If you want to keep your legs, that is."

Ratchet was scared at first, but then he remembered that he was leaving. He was getting adopted. Norkan could no longer boss him around.

"What's with the insults?" Ratchet asked. "Usually you'd threaten to wipe out my entire species."

Norkan grinned evilly. "I do usually threaten kids with that, but in your case... someone already did the job for me."

Ratchet froze. "What do you mean?"

"You heard me, dwarf. All Lombaxes but you have been exterminated. You are the last of 'em left. In fact, I could just strangle you right now and end the existence of the Lombax race."

"You liar!"

"Oh, I'm not lying, dwarf. Every Lombax has been brutally killed. And by the looks of it, so where your ugly mommy and daddy."

"You... you... bastard!"

If there was one thing the children at the orphanage never did, it was insulting Norkan, and for a very good reason. "What did you just call me?!" Norkan roared.

"I will not let you tell lies about my species and insult my family!"

"You DARE insult ME?"

"You DARE insult my family?"

Norkan roared. "I don't care if you're gonna get adopted or not, but that tongue is NOT coming with you!"

He slammed Ratchet against the wall. At that moment, the door opened. "Ratchet, it's-" Simon said before he realized what was happening.

Immediately his instincts started to work. He threw a punch at Norkan's eye, sending the brute back a few feet. "HANDS OF **MY** CHILD, OR I SWEAR I WILL EXECUTE YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

Norkan roared in pure rage while covering his injured eye with his left hand. "GRRAAAH! I'll rip that child apart!"

Simon's eyes were two orbs of pure fire. "Get some."

Norkan charged forward, only to receive a punch in the face. He attempted to smach Simon aside, only for Simon to lean backwards, dodging the attack with ease. He closed his eyes and focused. He focused on the fact that that man was about to harm a child. **His** child.

He got angrier and angrier the longer he thought about it. He summoned all of his anger and power and put it in one devastating blow at Norkan's jaw, sending the brute flying across the room with a broken nose and a few missing teeth.

Simon pinned Norkan against the wall. "Listen **very** closely. If I **ever** see you **near** Ratchet again, I'll saw off your arms and shove them up yer arse! **DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!** "

Norkan nodded in defeat. Simon let him fall to the ground. Norkan tried to get up, but he was quickly put back down by a forceful kick in the face. With that mindless monster down, Simon turned his attention to Ratchet. Noticing the bruises and a few cuts as well as the tears in his friend's eyes, he wanted to **murder** Norkan. " _Calm the hell down, Simon. That mindless buffoon isn't worth the trouble._ "

He got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around the little Lombax. In the loving embrace of his new family member, Ratchet let his tears go. Simon's face was filled with disgust. "Ratchet, we're going back to the director's office, **now**."

(Two minutes later)

Simon kicked down the director's office's door with such force that the door hit the desk that said director was sitting behind. When said director laid eyes on the Human that was so mad that the air around him was practically on fire, he turned as pale as fresh snow.

Simon slammed his fist down on the table, and with one movement of his arm he swiped all the director's belongings off the desk. He then kicked said desk out of the way in pure rage.

" **You!** ", he yelled at the beyond frightened director. " **Do you see this?!** "

He showed the fat man Ratchet's bruises and cuts. " **That's what your buddy Norkan did to my friend.** "

Simon saw that the fat Markazian was opening his mouth to say some pathetic apology. " **Oh, shove your stupid excuses op that big arse of yours** (Ratchet couldn't hold back a giggle) **and give me something I can accept.** "

"W-what is it that you w-wish, s-s-sir?"

" **YOU IDIOT! YOU GODDAMN IDIOT! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I WANT? I WANT THAT BRUTE NORKAN AWAY FROM THESE CHILDREN! FIRE HIM. TODAY. NEXT, SPEND YOUR MONEY TO TURN THIS INTO A PROPER OPHANAGE, AND NOT ON THINGS THAT YOU CAN SHOVE DOWN YER CAKEHOLE, LIVING CANNONBALL! AND ANOTHER THING: RAISE THESE GODDAMN CHILDREN! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!** " Simon yelled in the director's face.

He took a few deep breaths. "Get it all done. **Now** , or else I'll call the newspapers and have this godforsaken **prison** closed this **very day!** "

The director was too afraid to answer. He couldn't even move. He just stood there, frozen in fear of the beyond angry Human in front of him. The fact that Simon was twice the man's size didn't help either.

Simon gave the man one final look of pure disgust, picked up Ratchet and Ratchet's few belongings, and walked back to their car. When they walked through the orphanage's doors, one of the children yelled "Hey, sir! Why did you adopt **him** when you could've adopted a housecat? A housecat doesn't even complain and is **way** prettier than him!"

If there was one bad decision someone could make at that moment, it would be insulting Ratchet while Simon was around, and the fact that Simon was fuming didn't help either.

"I prefer him over any of you little bastards. Deal with it, dwarf: I prefer **him** over you. Or the way you say it: you got beaten by someone worse than a housecat." the fuming Human spat.

That shut them up. When they reached their car, Simon kneeled down, bringing himself to Ratchet's eye level. "I'm so sorry of everything that happened, Ratchet."

There were still a few tears in the child's eyes. Simon wiped them away with his thumb as soon as they fell. Ratchet let out a big sigh, trying to get himself back in control. He looked up at Simon. "That was horrible, but, you've just given me something worth so much. Something I never had."

Ratchet jumped up and embraced his new family. "A father."

Simon hugged him back. "And you've given me something to live for, a true goal in my life. There's no need for tears anymore, I will protect you. And trust me, I will **kill** everyone who even **thinks** about hurting you. Nobody hurts **my** friends."

After standing there for a while with the child in his arms, Simon put him back down. "Let's go back, to not only my, but your home too. And who knows, I just might have a surprise for you."

"What surprise?"

"You'll see when we're back home."

Ratchet wasted no time in sitting down in the car, but this time, he sat down on the back seats. "Why are you sitting back there?"

"Well... there's not much to see outside, so I'm sitting here so I've got some more space."

"Smart. Well, let's go." Simon replied as he started the engine. The car turned around, and sped off, away from the orphanage.

While on the way, Ratchet was thinking about what Norkan had said. That he was the last Lombax alive.

Apparently it was visible on his face, for Simon asked "What's bothering you, Ratchet?"

"Well... it's about what Norkan said. He... he said that I am the last Lombax left, and that if I would die, there would be no more Lombaxes in this universe. Is... is that true?"

Simon sighed. What should he say? Should he lie, and make Ratchet feel more safe, or should he tell the truth about the Lombaxes?"

At last, he decided. "Well... Lombaxes are indeed rather rare nowadays, but you are by far not the last of them."

"He also said that my parents got killed..."

"I honestly can't tell you if that's true." Simon replied. He was lying.

When he'd seen Ratchet running towards him when he was working on that ship, he had thought he was seeing things. As it turns out, he wasn't.

He immediately recognized the wrench Ratchet had been holding, as well as the similarities between Ratchet's face and the faces of two of his closest friends. " _No... it cannot be..._ "

Once Ratchet was safely inside his house and tucked in so he could regain his strength, Simon had picked up the wrench. He searched the handle, and indeed, there it was. A few sentences written in what appeared to be strange symbols.

It had faded quite a lot since it was quickly drawn on a metal surface, but he could still read them. They read "To my dear son. May you live long, prosper, and safe. And know that I, while I may not be here physically, will always be with you, together with your father. And no matter what you do, you do not have to make us proud. We are already so, so proud of you, and we always will be. You are a part of my and your father's soul, and never will we leave your side, in life or death. Be safe, my child. I love you with all my heart, and I love you with all my soul, and I always will. Goodbye, my child. May the universe be kind to you, and may you find peace and love. Your loving mother, E-"

The next symbol was only partially drawn, but it seemed to have been the letter 'L'.

Simon couldn't help but cry. It was true, Ratchet was the son of two of his best friends. He immediately swore that he would protect Ratchet with his life.

But he still wasn't sure if he should tell Ratchet about the symbols on his wrench. At last, he had decided not to. Doing so would crush the fire of hope burning inside Ratchet, hope that his parents were alive, and out there somewhere, and he couldn't do that. He could not do that to someone who had been through that much. " _Ignorance is bliss._ " he thought. " _I'll tell him when he is older._ "

He snapped out of his thoughts. "I do not know what happened to your biological parents, Ratchet. But I do know that they are out there. Somewhere. And I am sure that they love you very much."

"But how can you be sure? They've abandoned me!"

"Parents can do stupid things for the sake of their child, that they left you here does not mean that they do not love you, Ratchet. And until they come for you, I will keep you safe. I promise that on my very soul. Now, we're almost home."

"How is that possible?"

"I drove a little faster."

* * *

Ratchet was forced to interrupt his story as he started to cough. Angela wasted no time in running over to him and patting him on the back. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

She ran back into the kitchen, and came walking back into the living room while holding a bowl of soup. She gently gave it to Ratchet. "Here."

"Thank you."

Angela walked back into the kitchen and came walking back out, holding another bowl of soup. She sat down across from Ratchet, and started to eat as well.

"Is it alright if I continue my story later?" Ratchet asked as he moved a spoon full of warm soup to his mouth.

"Of course! You eating something is way more important than some story, Ratchet. Especially when you're in this condition."

Ratchet smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

 **Yeah... things got a little violent at the orphanage, didn't they? And where was Lucas? And what 'surprise' did Simon have for Ratchet?**

 **Per usual, the next chapter will be uploaded next week, on Saturday. Also, it'll be a lengthy chapter, as well as a heartwarming one.**

 **(Hopefully) see you next week!**


	5. Other Worlds

**And here's the next chapter! I do apologize for being a bit late, but it's still Saturday!**

 **Anyhow, I won't hold everyone up with lots of talking, I'll reply to the reviews and let everyone read on.**

 **Reviews:**

 **zenith88: "** ** _What an awesome chapter. And yes, it did solve some questions. Also i'm looking forward to the surprise Simon has for Ratchet. For some reason i guess it has to do something with that markazian boy whose name forgot again altough i've read it a few minutes ago. Maybe he sits tied up on a chair in the kitchen? Guess i have to wait till next saturday to find out._ "  
Well, it is Saturday, so wait no longer! As for the surprise Simon has in store for Ratchet, just wait and see, I think you're going to like it. P.S. I think you are referring to Lucas. Don't worry, he'll get what's coming to him. Eventually.**

 **Max Chronicle: "** ** _See you next week as well. (Lengthy and heartwarming...I love those kind.)  
Oh yeah, things got violent, because things got serious. (I also love these kind of things too.)  
And by the way, you just HAD to bring up Lucas, didn't you? I was perfectly fine with the buttkicking that ensued and was willing to leave him at the wayside in the meantime. I'll be okay though. (I believe we all want to know)  
Finally, a surprise. I have no clue what it is, but it's probably amazing.  
Max out_"  
Oh, amazing it'll be, that's for sure! And indeed, stuff got really serious at the orphanage. Simon is a really friendly person, but he'll beat up everyone who even thinks of harming someone he cares about with his bare hands. And yeah, I think some people were wondering why Lucas did not appear. That, I will explain later.**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _Awesome chapter you wrote! You are like a very, very experienced novelist!_ "  
Thanks! That is, no kidding, one of the greatest compliments a writer can get, so thank you so much! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!**

 **The Machine: "** ** _You're right, rats aren't stupid enough to describe Lucas... Lucas more stupid than the stupidest fly, no, wasp in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE!  
P. S. The reason I said wasp is because I think wasps are as stupid as flies.  
P. S. S. Beyond awesome chapter, by the way!_"  
Yeah, wasps are stupid creatures, alright. I still remember my last vacation, a trip to the Czech Republic. Darn wasps everywhere. Luckily, I was careful not to anger those wasps, but due to their low intelligence, I had to kill one or two of them when they got agressive... that's what they get for trying to ruin my vacation by showing up literally EVERYWHERE.**

 **P.S.S. Thanks a lot! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.**

 **Astrid: "** ** _I was editing some pictures when I thought, "Hmmm... maybe Black Hole was one of the people involved in the orphanage thing. I could be wrong, but that might be involved in how the mysterious Black Hole and Simon/ Hypernova become lifelong enemies._ "  
Good question indeed, but as for the relationship between Black Hole and Hypernova/Simon, I'm afraid I won't be covring much of that in this story. Remember, Ratchet had no idea who Hypernova was, so neither would he know Black Hole. I will fully explain the history between the two in Epilogue 2 though, whose first chapter shall be uploaded on March 10th.**

 **Destiny W: "** ** _I loved this chapter and can't wait for the next one. Keep up the great work. : )_ "  
Thanks! And don't worry, I have no intention of stopping anytime soon! Enjoy!**

* * *

Angela smiled as she watched Ratchet sleep. He did not only look cute while he slept, but it was also a moment of peace for him, while he was free in his dreams, his body was engaged in an all-out war with a disease. Needless to say, Ratchet wouldn't feel any of this whilst asleep.

Angela shook her head and drank some of her tea. She really needed a boost sometimes, and to her body, tea was like a magic potion. If she was exhausted, all she needed was a chair, five minutes, and a cup of warm tea, and she'd be good to go.

Ratchet suddenly stirred in his sleep, indicating that he was waking up. Soon enough two eyes opened to reveal a pair of emerald irises. "Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead." Angela teased.

"I guess so." Ratchet said, stretching his tired muscles. "Should I continue my story?"

"Yes please!"

"Alright then. When we came home..."

* * *

"Parents can do stupid things for the sake of their child, that they left you here does not mean that they do not love you, Ratchet. And until they come for you, I will keep you safe. I promise that on my very soul. Now, we're almost home."

"How is that possible?"

"I drove a little faster."

"That explains a lot."

As the elevator took the car up to the garage, Ratchet asked "Well, we're here, what's that surprise you were talking about?"

"Just wait a few more seconds."

As their elevator reached it's destination, Simon parked the car in it's original spot and got out of the car. After Ratchet had done the same, he told the young Lombax "Pick a ship."

"Sorry?"

"Look around you. Pick a ship."

Ratchet looked around. There were many ships that caught his interest, but the one he liked most was parked in the back. It was a slim but durable jetfighter that also seemed to have a lot of luxury for this type of aircraft. "I choose this one." Ratchet said.

Simon frowned. "The Star Explorer?"

"If that's it's name, then yes, the Star Explorer. But why do I need to choose a ship?"

"Simple: we're going to another planet."

"We're moving to another planet?!"

"No, we're just going to pay a visit, as well as buy some stuff. I'm thinking of Metropolis, planet Kerwan."

"That sounds awesome!"

"I know, right? Hop in!"

The ship's cockpit opened up, and Simon helped Ratchet climb in. Ratchet liked the ship, it had a white hull with blue wings, and the seats were red and very comfortable.

This time Ratchet sat in the front seat rather than the back seat. "Ready?" Simon asked.

"Ready?! What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Ratchet replied.

"Alright then."

The cockpit closed and the ship's engines came to life with a loud roar. Ratchet smiled. "Listen to that!"

"I know, there's nothing better than the sound of an Omegatron Z482-Solar Quintuple booster system."

"What a long name."

"I know, right? That immediately tells you that I didn't create the name."

Ratchet then realized that the ship had flown off the ground and was hovering in mid-air. "Cool!"

"You think that's cool? Watch this!"

The ship suddenly flew forward. The hangar doors opened up to reveal the mountainous Veldinian landscape, and the ship flew out. "Awesome!" Ratchet said.

"Hang on, Ratchet. I must warn you, we're going to fly up. Prepare yourself."

Ratchet frowned as the ship turned until it was flying straight up. "You okay?" Simon asked.

"Yes, it's just a... really weird feeling."

"Hang on just one more minute."

After a minute, Veldin's golden atmosphere had faded enough for Ratchet to see some bright dots appear.

"Are those...?"

"Stars, yes."

Once the ship was fully out of the atmosphere, Ratchet gasped. "That's just... wow."

"What a wonderful sight, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's beautiful!"

"It gets better."

The warpdrive engaged, and suddenly, stars were zipping past them as they flew through interstellar space.

"Wow..." Ratchet gasped as the stars flew past them.

Soon, a planet came into view. A grey-ish planet with a light blue atmosphere.

Ratchet could see countless buildings on the planet's surface, forming a gigantic city.

They soon entered the atmosphere, and Ratchet stared at the various ships passing them. They landed the ship on an unoccupied landing pad near a gigantic shopping mall.

Firstly, to Ratchet's annoyance, they went to buy him some new clothing, but when that was over, things got a bit more interesting. When they were inside their ship again, Simon told Ratchet that he had a surprise for the small Lombax. Ratchet's ears perked up in wonder.

"What is it?"

"You will see soon enough."

Simon turned on the engines, and off they went, flying to another part of the city. After landing, climbing out and locking the ship, Simon sat Ratchet down on his shoulders.

"How's the view up there?" he asked.

"Awesome! I'm a giant!"

Simon chuckled. He walked down a long street, until he suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ratchet asked.

"We're here."

Ratchet looked to his left, and had his lower jaw not been attached to his face, it would have dropped to the floor.

It was the largest toy store on the planet.

"Ratchet, before we go in, I need to make a few things clear. First of all, you stay near me at all times, okay?"

"Okay."

"Secondly, you may pick three things, no matter the price."

"Awesome!"

Simon smiled. "But there is one thing I have yet to say. After this, I need a few parts that we're going to buy at the electronics store across the street. Since I need some specific parts, I ask of you to be patient. Could you do that for me?"

"Of course!" Ratchet said.

"Alright then, let's go."

They walked into the toy store, and immediately Ratchet was overwhelmed by the store's interior. There were toys everywhere, most of them neatly packed in protective boxes while some of them were unpacked and served as showroom models.

Ratchet immediately picked a spaceship building kit, a box full of parts that could be assembled in various ways to construct various spacecrafts.

Ratchet's next choice was in the electronics department, a VG1000 gaming system, though Simon said (no pun intended) that he had something better at home.

So, Ratchet decided to choose a notebook and some crayons (Simon said that a notebook wasn't complete without crayons, so the crayons didn't count).

And Ratchet's final choice... Ratchet honestly couldn't decide. However, that's when he noticed a stuffed animal sitting on a pile of boxes. It closely resembled a cat but, upon closer inspection, it was a stuffed animal and not an actual animal. "I choose that one." Ratchet said, pointing at the white and black furred stuffed animal.

Simon searched the area for the stuffed animal, but he couldn't find it. He tapped one of the employees on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but my child would like that stuffed animal over there (he pointed at the cat) but I can't seem to find it."

The employee nodded. "They're completely out of stock, we've only got the showroom model left."

Ratchet's ears lowered. "Aww..."

"Hey, it's okay! You can have the showroom model if you'd like."

Simon turned to Ratchet. "Is that okay with you?"

Ratchet smiled. "Of course!"

Simon turned to the employee. "Alright, then. In that case I'd like to purchase the showroom model."

"Certainly. Follow me please."

A few minutes later they were standing outside again, Simon carrying various bags: a few bags full of clothing and a bag that contained Ratchet's toys.

"Alright, you know the deal."

Ratchet's ears lowered a bit. "Yes. I'll be patient."

"Thank you. Now, let's go."

They walked into the electronics store, and to Ratchet's surprise, he found the various hardware on display rather interesting. "What do those do?" he asked Simon, pointing at a few microchips.

"I don't know what they are, lets's take a look."

They walked over to the microchips. "Hmmm... these are 'GrandMaster Z-594 8GB' RAM chips."

"And that means?"

"Hang on, these are precisely what I need." Simon said, taking one of them.

"So... are we done now?"

"Not yet. Anyhow, these are RAM-chips. You see... you know what a computer is?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, in that case I'll explain when we're home. Then I can show you what it does."

After purchasing a few other items that Ratchet wanted to know more about, they left the store. They walked back to their ship and placed the bags in the cargo area. "Now, Ratchet, there is one last thing we need to buy."

"What is it?" Ratchet asked, one ear perking up in confusion.

"Food. And because you behaved so exceptionally well, I'll let you pick the dessert."

Ratchet giggled. "Awesome!"

* * *

"So... what's this for?" Ratchet asked.

They were already back home, having bought some food as well at a supermarket. Ratchet and Simon were currently in Ratchet's room, and Simon had brought the bag full of hardware with him.

Next, he walked out of the room, only to come walking back in again a few minutes later while holding what seemed to be a box made of white metal.

He also had a screwdriver with him, and he carefully opened the metal box.

Ratchet had been exited to see what was in it but, to his surprise, it was empty.

"What?!" Ratchet had said in confusion.

Simon had wasted no time in explaining. "Ratchet, this is a casing for a computer, a so-called 'tower model'. In here we have to put the components of the computer, which we've just bought."

He had reached inside the bag full of hardware and had taken out the boxes inside one by one.

"The processor, the graphics card or GPU, the RAM-chips, the motherboard, two Hard Drives, an optical drive, wiring, and last but not least, the external processor cooler and the power cable.

He had carefully opened the box containing the motherboard and had installed it into the casing by using a few small yet sturdy screws.

"The motherboard," he had explained, "receives all the info from the Hard Drives, GPU, CPU, all of it, and sends it in the right direction. The motherboard serves as the basis for the computer.

Then he had grabbed the processor. "This, Ratchet, is the processor. The processor processes all info from the other components of the computer and is also what initiates the startup sequence. A stronger processor can handle heavier software, the stronger the processor, the heavier the software it can handle. The processor I have right here, a 'Lightyear CPUniverse octa-core processor', can run the best of the best of modern day's software.

After installing the processor, next up were the two RAM-chips. "These are the RAM-chips. The RAM-chips provide the computer with RAM-memory, in which it temporarily stores info before sending it to the hard drive. If you write a book on a computer for example, it will be stored in the RAM-memory until you click 'save' and send the data to the Hard Drive. The stronger the RAM-memory, the more your computer can handle at once."

Then the GPU. "This is the graphics card. This thing is responsible for updating the computer screen. The more high-definition the software, the stronger the GPU needs to be. The same counts for the screen resolution: the bigger the screen attached to your computer, the stronger the GPU needs to be. With this thing, the 'Lensmax Eternity Infinity-edition' this computer can run almost anything at a nice screen resolution."

Ratchet nodded, he seemed to understand what everything was for. "And the hard drive is for storing data, right?"

"Correct. And what do you think this is for?" Simon said, showing Ratchet the external processor cooler.

"Uuh..."

"There is something I have not yet told you about the processor. The harder it needs to work, the more energy it will consume, and thus the hotter it will become. This means that the built-in cooling system will have to work harder to prevent the processor from overheating. This is an external cooler, it helps keep the temperature low and thus the built-in cooling system has to run less intensely, and thus the computer is more silent."

"Cool! Literally!"

"Heh, you seem to have a knack for technology."

"I suppose I do. But why are you building a computer?" Ratchet asked as Simon installed the last part, the optical drive.

"This is your computer, Ratch."

"What?!"

"Yep. 100% yours. It's not done yet, it has the hardware but no software. For that, I need an operating system. Luckily for you, I've made an operating system myself that behaves a bit differently than your usual operating system, 'Galaxyrise', yet is still fully compatible with all software designed for Galaxyrise... except viruses."

"Aww..." Ratchet said, ears lowering a bit.

"Why are you sad? You think 'viruses' is a game or something?"

"Isn't it a game?"

Simon shook his head. "There are many bad people out there, Ratchet. Even online. Some bad people create tiny programs called 'viruses', sometimes to steal files or data from other people, sometimes just to mess up their life. Viruses embed themselves in a computer, and what it does next depends on the virus type. Some viruses completely destroy the computer's software and, in some extreme cases, even hardware, some viruses take over computers, others steal files or passwords, and some even spy on the user using cameras or logging their searches. Luckily, the operating system I have designed is far too complex for viruses. It is intelligent, it will annihilate any software intended to take over parts of or the whole computer, it will automatically scan all data received and sent, trust me, no virus will be able to break through. Also, since the operating system is unique, there is no chance that there is a virus designed to target this system. You'll be fine."

Ratchet smiled. "I... I... I honestly cannot thank you enough."

"You do not have to thank me, Ratchet."

"What?!"

"Just be yourself. That's all I ask of you."

"No problem." Ratchet replied, smiling.

"Alright then."

* * *

Ratchet had been playing with his new toys all day, but being alone was starting to wear him down, and thus, he walked down the stairs and walked over to Simon, who was currently cleaning the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"Eh, cleaning, boring stuff that has to be done. Some people like to clean, but I'm not one of 'em, I'm afraid."

Ratchet sighed. "I'm bored, is there something we could do together? A game or something?"

Simon frowned. "Hmm... I think I know something."

* * *

"Woo-hoo! This is awesome!" Ratchet yelled as he quickly rolled to the right to avoid some enemy fire."

"I know, right? Gotta love flight simulators!" Simon yelled as he shot a pilot that was chasing Ratchet.

"How long until we will reach the planet that is in danger?"

"Only two more waves of enemies and we'll have passed their fleet. After that we can perform a warp jump to the planet."

Ratchet smiled as he performed an aileron roll. "This is surprisingly easy to control!"

"That's probably because you're using the console mode, steered using a controller. I'm using the veteran mode, in which you steer using a replica of an actual cockpit, complete with lots of shiny red buttons."

"Gotta love those!"

"Yep! Now let's go, we've got a planet to save."

"Are we done _already_?!"

"Yep."

"That was fast."

"Time flies when you're having fun, huh? Perhaps even faster when you're flying yourself... Well, planet in danger, let's go."

* * *

Ratchet let out a loud yawn as he got into bed. Simon pulled the blankets over the small Lombax, then sat down on a nearby chair. "Alright, would you-"

"Story, story, story!"

"Alright them. Let's see... Ratchet, stars are bright, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are."

"Not always, There are dark stars. Stars that emit no light, but devour it instead."

"You're joking."

"No, I am not. These stars are called 'black holes'. Black holes are stars that are so insanely heavy, and thus their gravity is so intense, that not even light is fast enough to escape from it's surface."

"That's confusing."

"It is, isn't it?"

"I... could you tell a different story?"

"What story would you like?"

"Could you tell about another planet?"

"Hmm... alright then. There once was a world, covered in vast oceans, with small patches of land here and there. Does that sound better?"

"Yes, it does. What happened to that planet?"

"It once was a world like our own... except this planet was closer to it's star. It once had a tropical temperature, but as the volcanic activity in it's young years spewed more 'greenhouse gases', I will explain what those are another time, it became warmer and warmer. And the volcanoes had no intention of stopping.

Soon, the oceans started to evaporate, and the atmosphere became filled with toxic orange clouds that hid the surface from view. Nowadays the planet is one of the hottest planets known, and all of the water is gone."

"Aww..."

"Don't be sad, Ratchet. There is a legend about this planet."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It is said that when a child, one with a pure heart and a soul of light, sets foot upon the surface, the beast of a planet will yield before the child, and become habitable once again. I do believe that legend is about you, Ratchet. You can save the planet."

"Can I?"

"Yes. Just close your eyes, little one."

Ratchet smiled and did as we as told, and soon, he was asleep. Simon smiled. "Pleasant dreams, kiddo." he said, before walking off to his own bedroom.

* * *

"And I'll stop there for now." Ratchet said, getting a dry throat from all that talking.

"I get it." Angela said. She quickly got up and got Ratchet a glass of water. "Better?"

Ratchet nodded. "Thanks. Mind if I continue later?"

"Of course I don't mind. You getting better means much more to me."

Ratchet smiled. "You truly are an amazing friend, Angela."

"Thanks, Ratchet."

* * *

 **Alrighty then! Next chapter, stuff is going to get interesting, because we have only four weeks left before March 10th, so the story will be picking up speed next chapter! I cannot promise that it will be in the next chapter, but soon, it'll be time for some long-awaited asskicking. I bet you all know who I mean...**


	6. Crumbling Worlds

**I'm back! (Not a very big surprise, it's Saturday after all...)**

 **Anyhow, I've got some work that needs to be finished, so no long author's notes.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Destiny W: "** ** _This was a great chapter, I can't wait for more. : )_ "  
Well, today's Saturday, so wait no more! Enjoy!**

 **zenith88: "** ** _That was again a chapter that only pne word can describe. Awesome. And i'm looking forward to the nexg chapter as well and hopefully some Lucas (i finally remember the name) buttkicking. Or at least something unexpected._ "  
Thank you! As for Lucas, and something unexpected... 'Perhaps'. You'll have to see for yourself...**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _I absolutely loved this chapter! You are, by far, one of the BEST writers this website has EVER seen! You've got a lot of imagination and that makes you such an awesome writer!  
P. S. Tell Nefarious he owes me 2 million bolts!_"  
Thank you so much! And indeed, imagination is very important for writers. Luckily, my imagination mines are not empty yet, not by far! And I've got some brainstorms coming up as well! Terrible jokes aside, I'll let Nefarious know (and get the heck out of there before he stars to scream), and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.**

 **The Machine: "** ** _Awesome, no, beyond incredibly amazing chapter! You are so darn amazing at writing! Where do you get such awesome stories?  
P. S. I hate wasps a LOT. In fact, I also have a fear of them too... one look at those stingers and people have a big problem on their hands.._"  
Well... where do I get such stories... that's a rather difficult question to answer, but what I often try to do is change or add to the original R&C storyline, not follow it. Because honestly, what's the fun of reading a fanfic that follows the original story all the time? The differences are one of the things that make a fanfic interesting to read. Anyhow, gotta hate wasps indeed, but I'm not afraid of their stingers. Okay, maybe I am a bit, but that won't stop me from kicking a wasp's sorry behind if it (tries to) hurt anyone I know. Anyhow, thanks for your kind words, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.**

 **Max Chronicle: "** ** _Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Computer Class, with your teacher...Simon  
(Now's his cue to walk into the room)  
Ahem, sorry. That's just the vibe I got when you had Simon teach Ratchet the basics about computer hardware. Classic.  
Anyway, Veteran Mode-not only is it a replica of an actual cockpit with shiny red buttons; is it a replica of an actual cockpit with shiny red buttons...that initiate SELFDESTRUCT! Epic.  
Also, "...a chair, five minutes, and a cup of warm tea, and she'd be good to go." I wish I could do that. (Beat) Oh wait, I can. Just replace the tea with Mountain Dew.  
Well, can't wait for the long-awaited azzkicking. Should be worth the wait.  
Max out_"  
Simon teaching computer class? That's a rather interesting concept, though I think teaching science would fit him more. And I figured it had to be done, Simon teaching Ratchet about computer hardware, 'cause we all know Ratchet has a knack for technology and cool gadgets. And yes, must... resist... pressing... shiny... buttons! About that, I think you'll absolutely love one of the characters I've got planned for the grand sequel. And yeah, sugar works pretty good when trying to regain some energy, though it is only a temporary boost. I personally get quite a boost from music, depends on my mood what I listen to. Anyhow, about the 'azzkicking', I hope I lived up to your expectations. Enjoy!**

* * *

After sleeping for an hour, Ratchet woke up. Angela had been reading a book in a chair across from him. "Should I continue my story?" Ratchet asked. Angela jumped a bit. "Whoo! I hadn't noticed that you had woken up."

She put away her book. "I'd love to hear the rest of your story though, it's much better than most of the books I've read."

Ratchet laughed. "Alright, then. Let's see, where was I..."

* * *

Life was finally good for little Ratchet. His first few weeks in his new home were spent playing games with his new family, or Simon telling Ratchet stories.

But then, one day, something terrible happened.

Ratchet had been playing outside, but when he got bored, he stared at the Veldinian landscape, simply forgetting about everything and taking in the beautiful scenery.

When he got tired, he climbed back down, turned around, and started to walk towards the front door of the main house.

But he failed to notice a small rock, and as he stepped on it, the rock shot away.

Ratchet lost his balance... and fell into the lake.

Lombaxes were excellent swimmers, but... Ratchet had never learned how to swim...

He threw his arms around like a madman in a desperate attempt to keep his head above the water, but his attempts were futile as he disappeared below the water's surface.

Ratchet clawed at the surface, desperately trying to reach the air he needed so desperately, but to no avail.

And then he ran out of air. He wished he could scream as he let go of his air and started to inhale water. The pain was unimaginable, but no matter how hard he tried to scream, no word ever escaped his mouth.

Then, suddenly, he stopped moving, slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake.

* * *

Ratchet suddenly started to cough, and Angela immediately patted him on the back.

"Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I am. Thanks."

"Thank goodness. But... if you drowned... then how can you be here?"

Ratchet smiled. "I wasn't home alone."

* * *

Luckily for the near-dead Ratchet, his screaming and splashing had not gone unnoticed by Simon. As soon as he heard the screams and the sounds of splashing, he threw away his book, jumped out of his chair, and stormed out the door. He immediately noticed the yellow dot at the bottom of the lake.

Without thinking twice, he swan dived into the water and swam towards Ratchet as fast as he possibly could.

Having reached the young Lombax within seconds, he started to make his way to the surface.

In seconds he had dragged Ratchet out of the water, and began performing CPR. But no matter what he did, Ratchet would not move.

When Simon was about to give up, two emerald eyes suddenly shot open. In an instant Simon wrapped his arms around Ratchet and pulled him into an embrace. "My god... I thought I'd lost you, Ratchet..." Simon mumbled.

Ratchet did not respond.

"Ratchet?"

The Lombax child shook his head. "What's wrong? Can't you speak?"

Ratchet shook his head, eyes widened in panic.

"Oh, no..."

Ratchet started to gesture wildly, desperately trying to tell Simon something.

"Are you wondering if you'll ever be able to speak again?"

Ratchet nodded. Simon sighed, he was not going to lie. "Ratchet, it is possible that the temporary lack of oxygen has damaged your brains. If so, it is possible that you will never regain the ability to speak."

Ratchet's eyes filled with sadness, and his ears lowered. Never being able to speak again? He could not possibly imagine living like that.

Simon smiled. "Relax, Ratchet. You're speaking to one of the most respected scientists of today. I'm certain I can find out what's going on... but whatever happens, I'll have to teach you how to swim, this can't happen again."

Simon guided Ratchet inside and, after both had changed into a dry set of clothing, they took the elevator to Simon's laboratory where Simon started to run a few tests. He put a large helmet on Ratchet's head and instructed the Lombax to try to speak. As he monitored Ratchet's brain activity, he noticed a pattern. His assumption had been correct, Ratchet's brains had been damaged by a lack of oxygen. " _A good chance to test something..._ " Simon thought as he walked over to a workbench and grabbed a vial containing a bright blue liquid. He walked over to Ratchet. "Ratchet, I know what's going on. Drink this."

Ratchet drank the liquid. The Lombax' eyes widened. "Eugh! What is- I can speak!"

Simon burst out laughing. "Yes! Yeees! My invention works!"

"Invention?"

"What you just drank, Ratchet, was a prototype of something I've been developing for quite a while now, something called 'Nanotech'. The liquid you drank was colored bright blue due to it being chuck-full of nanites, tiny robots."

Ratchet shuddered. "That sounds creepy!"

"It may sound creepy, but it is not. You see, when nanites have entered a person's body, they enter the person's cells and read their genetic material. They then scan the person's body and identify any injuries or problems, head over to it and, using the knowledge they acquired from the genetic material, they heal a person's wounds within seconds and thanks to the genetic material they know exactly what to place where."

"That's... just brilliant!"

"I know, right! When Nanotech gets mass-fabricated, people can recover from serious injuries in very short periods of time. It'll be an unrivaled breakthrough in medical technology."

"Those words are a bit complicated..."

"I know, but you'll understand eventually. You're a very smart kid, Ratchet."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Now, back outside, I gotta teach you how to swim."

* * *

Ratchet reluctantly stepped into the water. "Are you sure I should do this?"

"This part of the lake is shallow, you can stand in it while your head is still above the water."

"Okay..."

Simon stepped into the water behind Ratchet. Simon was wearing a hand-made diving suit (minus the oxygen tank, flippers, gloves and headgear) while Ratchet was wearing green swimming trunks.

"Alright. Now, there is something you must now. Lombaxes have very special fur, it's called, with an expensive word, hydrophobic. You see, water cannot get through a Lombax' fur, so they can float in water as long as they don't move. Just spread your arms and relax."

Ratchet did as he was told and indeed, he could float.

"Alright. Now, in order to swim forward..."

* * *

Ratchet had gotten the hang of swimming pretty fast, but he was a Lombax after all, and Lombaxes were excellent swimmers. Within hours Ratchet had learned how to swim, both at the surface and underwater, though he was not very good at holding his breath, though that didn't really matter, all that mattered is that he could swim.

And after an excellent meal, Ratchet went to bed. As he fell asleep, little did he know that, the next day, his life would be torn apart once again.

The next morning started as usual, Ratchet and Simon having breakfast together and even playing a game or two, but then Simon came up with an idea. "Perhaps we could go out today, explore Veldin a bit?"

Ratchet had happily said yes, and soon the two were in the car, driving to a nearby town called 'Zerson'.

Upon arrival, they walked around town for a while before having lunch at a local restaurant. But as they walked back to their car, things went south. As they walked past an alley, two strong arms suddenly pulled Ratchet in, the Lombax yelping in surprise and fear as he was pulled into the darkness. Simon stopped immediately and started to pursue the kidnapper down the alleyway. " _You are NOT escaping with MY child, pal._ " Simon thought as he started to run even faster. The kidnapper ran out of the alleyway and finally Simon could see him... or at least the black cloak the figure was wearing. The figure stormed into the marketplace, still carrying Ratchet with him, who was struggling with all his might in desperate attempts to escape the kidnapper, but the man had an iron grip.

The kidnapper knocked over some barrels here and there in an attempt to delay Simon (earning a few angry yells from the owners of the barrels) but Simon jumped over them with ease and continued his pursuit.

But then Simon had an idea. Slowly but surely he started to take control of the chase, using some psychological tricks to send the kidnapper exactly where he wanted him to go (for isntance, if he would run to the left of the kidnapper the kidnapper would turn right).

And sure enough, after a while, he had trapped the kidnapper in a dead end.

Simon gave the bad guy a look of pure venom. "You're got nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, pal. I'll give you three seconds to put Ratchet down or else I'll do something to you that is so horrible that even the most fearless Agorians would wet their pants in fear."

The figure turned around. "I'm not afraid of you. Guys!"

Suddenly seven more figures dropped down from the rooftops. The kidnapper removed his mask and stared down at Ratchet. "Hey there, furball! Remember me?"

Ratchet couldn't believe his eyes. "Lucas?! But-"

"How can I be here? Simple, while everyone was so busy with getting your furry behind back into the orphanage, I had all the time I needed to escape myself. Within hours I had joined a group of mercenaries, and within days I had killed my way to a high position within the group, and thus I was given a squad of mercs that do exactly as I say. Gee, I would thank you, but I've got something better for you! I'm going to get you a job!"

"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked.

Lucas grinned evilly. "I'm certain the group I'm with would love to have a slave of such an exotic species. Who knows, maybe because I caught you, they'll let me torture you when you're not doing as we say. Oh, I'm already looking forward to it... and who knows, perhaps when we get tired of you, we'll sell you to the highest bidder. I know a Cragmite in Polaris who's willing to pay trillions to get his hands on a Lombax."

Simon's eyes were full of fire that was hotter than the hottest star. "I'll **kill** you!" he spat with such hatred in his voice that it could kill a person.

Lucas laughed. "I'm not afraid of you. Boys, get him."

Two assassins pulled out their guns. "No!" Ratchet yelled as they fired... and hit. The shots went right through Simon, one through his left leg and one through his chest.

But then, to everyone's surprise, Simon started to smile. "Not even god can save you now."

Suddenly, something invisible hit Lucas in the face with such power that the Markazian was sent flying backwards with a broken nose. Ratchet was released from his grip and ran over to Simon immediately. "What are you waiting for? Kill them! Kill them all!" Lucas roared in pure rage.

"Ratchet, turn around, close your eyes, cover your ears and hum a song, and whatever you do, don't turn around or open your eyes, okay?"

"O-okay."

Ratchet turned away from Lucas, the mercenaries and Simon, closed his eyes, covered his ears with his hands (or at least as much as he could) and started to hum a song. Of course, he didn't know any songs, so he just sang whatever came to mind.

Behind him Simon had turned to the mercenaries. The mercs fired again, sending a barrage of bullets at Simon, though the bullets seemed to vanish in mid-air as they got close to the Human.

Simon flicked open his watch, revealing a pink-blueish diamond that was shining brightly. He pressed it once and closed the watch again. He then crossed his arms over his chest, and bowed his head.

A white tornado formed around him and thus all the mercs could see was Simon's s silhouette.

Simon's body started to change slowly, for instance, his head became slightly bigger and more oval-shaped, and his hair seemed to vanish.

Then, suddenly, a white lightning bolt came crashing down on Simon from the heavens, and in an instant, the tornado was gone. But Simon was gone as well.

Instead, there was Hypernova.

The mercs started to fire at Ratchet instead, but their bullets seemed to slow down as they passed Hypernova until they came to a stop completely. The bullets suddenly reversed and charged at the mercs who could barely roll out of harm's way in time.

A sword formed in Hypernova's right hand. He charged forward and, with a single swing of his sword, cut off the head of the nearest merc.

The others lost their heads too before they could even scream in terror.

That left only Hypernova and Lucas, the Markazian lying on the ground, still recovering from the uppercut. "They... they'll come for you..."

Hypernova laughed. "Yes, please, let them come! I'll exterminate that pathetic group of yours in mere **minutes** , you vermin!"

Lucas chuckled. "You may have won from me, whoever the hell you are, but you will not escape the Dark Assassins."

"Dark Assassins? What a pathetic name. Please, dear Markazian imbecile, you do know who you're talking to, right?"

"Nope. But I know that that Lombax there is going to die soon."

Hypernova laughed. Then he yelled "I AM HYPERNOVA! I am invincible, immortal, faster than light itself, smarter than all Terachnoids put together, and with enough firepower to obliterate the entire universe in a matter of days, and you, tiny, puny, _weak_ little Markazian, think that a small group of assassins can do anything against me? LOOK AT ME!"

Lucas was raised into the air.

"ENTIRE PLANETS DO AS I SAY!" Hypernova roared as pure lava suddenly shot out of the ground underneath Lucas. "STARS OBEY MY WILL! GALAXIES KNEEL FOR ME! ENITRE UNIVERSES ARE NO MATCH FOR ME! AND YOU, STUPID TINY FOOL, THINK YOU CAN HARM **MY** CHILD?!"

He slammed Lucas into the wall with such force that it shattered a few ribs. Lucas grinned. "If you're so strong, how come you're seemingly too afraid to kill me?"

Hypernova chuckled. "I didn't even think a person could possibly this stupid. Taunting someone far more powerful than themselves. But no, I will not kill you."

"Weak..."

"Do you have a death wish? But no, I will not lower myself to your level. What a pathetic assassin."

"But what about those?" Lucas said with a nod towards the dead mercs lying around. "They were simply in the way." Hypernova replied. He transformed back into Simon, picked up Ratchet, and left.

As they drove back, both were silent. That is, until Simon spoke up. "What they were planning on doing with you... that's just... mean. Indescribably mean."

"I know..." Ratchet whispered, clearly still shaken.

"Don't worry. If I see their faces again, I'll blow them to so many bits that even an entire army of cleaning bots would need decades to clean it all up. What does this Lucas have against you anyway?"

"I don't know. I think he is just jealous of me."

"That's a possible explanation."

And they were silent again. Luckily for both of them, the rest of the day did go as planned, with no more abductions or ambushes. However, as soon as they got home, Simon told Ratchet that he would teach the young Lombax how to handle that wrench of his.

And after a few months of training, Ratchet had become quite handy with his wrench, being able to take down tougher and tougher opponents in the simulator.

When he single-handedly had defeated a trained Blargian merc, he was finished. "I'm proud of you, Ratchet." Simon had said. "But there is one opponent you must defeat."

"Who?"

Simon grabbed a special training sword. "Me."

Ratchet readied his wrench. The two combatants circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move. At last, Simon decided to go first, or at least make Ratchet believe that he was going first. He stepped forward and moved his sword, only to step backwards at the very last second, making Ratchet counter thin air. He used this opening to shoot forward and attempted to hit Ratchet, but the Lombax had been expecting this, and was ready. Ratchet jumped over Simon's attack with feline grace and disarmed his opponent with one swing of his wrench.

Simon clapped his hands together. "You are done, Ratchet."

The little Lombax smiled.

* * *

Life was good to Ratchet and Simon. Every day they would have breakfast and play games, or Simon would teach Ratchet about stuff, mostly mechanics because it seemed to have caught Ratchet's interest.

Many years went by in a flash, and with great pride Simon watched as Ratchet grew into a strong, young Lombax.

However, disaster struck again when Ratchet had reached the age of 17.

Suddenly, on a peaceful morning, the peace left. Suddenly a huge explosion could be heard, and the house shuddered. Many items were knocked over.

Simon jumped to his feet and ran out the door, Ratchet right behind him.

An entire fleet was approaching the house. "He's here..." Simon mumbled. He turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, grab your belongings, now!"

Ratchet had never seen him that serious, and thus he did not question Simon's order, and ran into the house. He grabbed everything he had and packed it in a large blue backpack. He turned to run back outside only to see Simon standing in the doorway. "Ratchet, you must hurry! Follow me!"

Simon ran down the hallway, Ratchet keeping up with him with ease due to his training. Simon pulled away a bookshelf and knocked on the wall three times. The wall opened up, revealing a blue glowing pad. A teleporter.

"Go, Ratchet. This teleporter will bring you to the other side of the Kyzil Plateau, to a garage I've once purchased but never really used. Stay there, and stay inside, no matter what you hear, okay? And no matter what you do, do not open the garage doors, no not speak, nothing until you hear no more explosions. As soon as the explosions stop, wait at least three hours before making any noise or opening anything at all. Do I make myself clear?"

Ratchet nodded. "But... you'll be coming with me... right?"

Simon stayed silent. "Right?" Ratchet asked again.

Simon sighed and laid a hand on Ratchet's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Ratchet. So very proud. But now you must go."

"But-"

"Farewell."

And Simon gave him a hard shove. Ratchet fell backwards, onto the teleporter. The last thing Ratchet saw of Simon was the Human running towards the front door as fast as he possibly could.

A single tear rolled down Ratchet's cheek.

As soon as Ratchet had teleported away, Simon took a deep breath. He slowly shapeshifted, turning into a brown Lombax. Chocolate colored fur with brown stripes, brown irises and a pair of glasses.

He walked outside, filled with determination, where Tachyon was waiting for him. He put up quite a fight, defeating hundreds of Drophyds whilst only taking a few minor hits himself.

But, after a few full hours of fighting, he was defeated and killed at last. Or so Tachyon thought with a smug grin as he commanded the Drophyd fleet to leave Veldin. Luckily, Simon's distraction had worked, Tachyon had no idea of the young, golden Lombax hiding inside a garage on the other side of the Plateau.

Ratchet cried as the explosions slowly faded. There was no way Simon could have survived something like that unless he had superpowers. But, he promised himself, he would make Simon and his biological parents proud. Wherever his biological parents may be.

* * *

"According to Simon, Tachyon was flagged by that crappy assassin gang or whatever they were. Luckily, all those bad assassins knew is that there was a Lombax on Veldin, but they did not know it's facial features or fur color, so Tachyon assumed Simon was the Lombax they were talking about."

"About those assassins," Angela began, "what happened to them?"

"Most of the assassins were arrested by the Galactic Authorities, though a few are still on the run. In case you're wondering what happened to Lucas, he was thrown out of the assassins for his miserable failure, and he currently lives on the streets."

"Oh. Well that's sad."

"I know, but don't forget the things that guy did or tried to do to me. I'm not feeling sorry for him at all. Speaking of how I feel, I'm feeling better!"

Angela smiled. "Great!"

On the inside, however, she thought " _Aww... that means he'll leave soon... not that I want him to be sick of course, but I enjoy his company._ "

But indeed, Ratchet left a few hours later. Angela smiled and waved him goodbye as he got into Aphelion and flew off. She sighed.

She made herself a cup of coffee rather than tea, she needed something stronger this time. She sat down on her couch, and let her mind wander freely. She wondered about the things Ratchet had told her, about Simon in particular. After an hour of thinking, she still felt so puzzled.

And there was only one person who could clear her mind.

She walked over to the phone, and dialed Ratchet's number. He picked up the phone a few seconds later, "Hey, Angela, what's up? Did I forget anything?"

"No, no, it's just... I need your help for a sec."

Ratchet stayed silent for a moment. "Well... okay. I'll be there in two minutes."

True to his word, Ratchet was standing on her doorstep mere minutes after she had hung up. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Well... you told me about your childhood, and I said nothing... I feel like we're not even, like I owe you. I'd like to tell you about my childhood too."

"Uh... okay...?"

Angela smiled. "Thanks for understanding, please come in."

Ratchet sat down on the couch. "Alright, then."

Angela sat down in a seat across from him and took a deep breath. "As a child, I've met Simon too..."

* * *

There were only a few places as cold as Grelbin on a winter's day. Shivering and with a backpack full of books, a small, depressed Lombax was dragging herself through the snow and unforgiving cold.

Only mere days earlier, her world had collapsed when her caretaker, an elderly woman who had found her in the snow one day, had passed away. She meant everything to the Lombax, she was like a mother to her. She had even named the Lombax, because the Lombax could not remember it's name.

"Why? Why did you have to go, Ms. Celis? Why did you leave me alone?" the Lombax girl whispered to herself.

Ms. Celis had found the Lombax child as a baby, lying in the snow on one fateful morning. It was a miracle that none of the wildlife on Grelbin had seen or heard the child. Celis hadn't thought twice, and took the child home. After months, nobody had shown up. No parent, no caretaker, nobody.

Celis figured that the child must be alone. Perhaps it's parents had died?

But because the child had no name, (it didn't have anything with it with the child's name on it either), Celis had given the child a name herself. She turned to the baby, and her eyes filled with compassion. "I'm so sorry for you, little one." the elderly Cazar had mumbled. "But... I can promise you that I will look after you for as long as these old bones can still carry me. But what's your name, little one?"

The baby did not respond. It only looked around, it's big aqua eyes looking around in wonder. Celis sighed. "I think we'll be stuck with each other for a while, little one. But I can't keep referring to you as 'little one' forever, you need a name. I'll give you a name, a temporary name, until I find out your true name. Then, it is up to you to choose what name you will wear."

Amelia Celis sat down and shook her head. "You know... I once had a daughter."

Celis smiled, a mixture of both joy and extreme sadness. "How beautiful she was... and how short she lived."

She wiped away a tear. "Sometimes the universe is just not fair. It's so sad that my daughter had to experience that first-hand. You see, when my daughter was born, her kidneys did not function correctly. She would have died in pain, if I... if I had not been given the offer of ending her misery with a combination of a sleep-inducing drug and a drug that would stop her heart."

Celis grimaced. "It was so unfair. It was a decision between holding my child just a few hours more, but watch it die slowly and in pain, or let my child leave immediately, before the torture could begin. I'll never forget the moment her eyes opened for the first time, nor will I ever forget the moment they closed again for eternity. She had such truly beautiful eyes, so full of love, so full of wonder... so full of life. She'd have grown up to be a wonderful and beloved person... if she had been given the chance. The shock cost my dear husband his life... and I have been alone ever since. I exiled myself to this barren and cold world, because it was just like me. Barren, empty, cold."

Celis shook her head. "I'm sorry for rambling on. I cannot ever bring my daughter back... but at least I can give her name the chance to live again, if only for a short period of time."

She stood up, walked over to the Lombax baby, and gently stroked it's left ear, catching the girl's attention. "I'll look after you... Larissa." Celis whispered.

The Lombax child wiped away a tear. She had loved Celis very much, the old Cazar had been like a mother to her, but alas, like she had said it herself, "The universe is vast, beautiful, and full of mysteries and miracles. But, at the same time, it is cold, empty, and unfair."

But that did not help.

The Lombax child sat down in the snow, and started to cry.

Unfortunately, the loud sobbing caught the attention of a nearby YETI.

The creature looked around, but when it noticed the small sandy dot in the distance, it let out a large roar, telling it's comrades that it had found their dinner.

The Lombax child heard the roars, turned to where the sound came from, and screamed in terror as a small army worth of YETI's came charging at her.

She got up and ran as fast as she possibly could, but it was no use, the YETI's were both faster and stronger than her.

But she had one advantage.

She was smarter.

She ran towards a thawed lake, but stopped when she was just a few feet from the water. She grabbed a pencil out of her bag and started to slam it into the ground like a madman, creating a crack in the ice.

But it was too late. The YETI's had reached her.

Fate seemed to smile upon the Lombax, for the stomping of the YETI's proved too much for the ice.

The ice shattered, and the Lombax fell right through it. Shivers went up her spine as she disappeared into the cold water. Within seconds her bones had gone numb, but she could not and would not stop. She swam under the ice until she had reached the lake. She resurfaced near the shore, took a deep breath, and dove into the depths once again almost immediately, so that the YETI's would not see her. She swam underneath a few large chunks of ice before she had to resurface once more. She barely made it to the surface.

She crawled out of the freezing water behind a large chunk of ice, hidden from the YETI's. Judging by the angry screams in the distance, the YETI's did not understand where their potential dinner had gone, much to the young Lombax girl's luck.

But the cold water had taken it's toll on the child, the overwhelming cold paralyzing her. She shivered and closed her eyes, waiting for death to come.

" _At... at least it's better than getting eaten... and I will be with Celis again..._ "

The last thing the child saw before her eyes closed where two snowy boots running towards her.

* * *

The girl slowly opened her eyes. She was in a cozy wooden cabin by the looks of it. She was lying on a couch, with a towel wrapped around her, and a blanket wrapped around that. It was quite an adorable sight, a white bundle of cloths with two large ears sticking out of it.

Two sapphire eyes scanned the area for any sings of life. At first, it seemed as if nobody was home, but stumbling behind her proved that there was indeed someone in the house. The girl quickly made herself as small as she could, hoping that whoever it was could not see her.

It didn't help much with those large ears of hers. "W-what are you doing?" a voice stammered, clearly surprised. "You can't really breathe like that, come back out, pal."

The child carefully stuck her head out of the blanket-burrito. "W-w-who are y-y-you?" the child stammered, partially out of fear and partially because she was still shivering.

"Sssh. It's alright, you're safe here." the person said. It sounded male, and had a calm and gentle voice. The figure walked over to the other side of the couch so the child could see him.

He had pale skin, no fur, calm and friendly brown eyes and brown hair. He was also holding a mug. He put it down on the coffee table and stepped closer to the girl.

"Let me help you out of those blankets."

"Ah! G-get away!"

"Calm down. I am not going to harm you."

"Then w-what are you going to do?"

"Well, you can't exactly move your arms at the moment, can you?"

"N-no."

"Well, I'm gonna change that."

The man gently helped the child sit up, then unwrapped the blanket and the towel so that the child could move their arms again. He then grabbed the cup that he had placed on the coffee table, and handed it to the girl. "Here."

The girl stared at the cup's contents. Soup.

She carefully grabbed the spoon, and started to eat. Immediately the warmth of the soup spread through her body, and she couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"That feels a lot better, doesn't it? There's nothing better than a cup of warm soup on a cold day."

The girl nodded. She turned her head to the man. "Who are you, sir?"

"Me? Name's Simon Polaris. And you?"

"I... I was raised by an old lady who had found me in the snow when I was a baby. She didn't know the name my parents had given me, nor did I have anything with me with my name on it, so she gave me a name for the time being. She named me after her daughter, who had died shortly after being born. So... for now... my name's Larissa."

"Larissa... that's quite a beautiful name."

"Thank you. But... what are you doing on such a cold, barren world like Grelbin?"

"I'm a scientist. I've come here to study the wildlife, as well as a strange mineral only found on Grelbin, moonstones."

"Why would you want to monitor the animals here? They are all so stupid... a few of them even tried to eat me a few times."

Simon frowned. "That's just horrible! It's a miracle you're still breathing! I wonder though, what parent or guardian would let their child go outside alone?"

"It's not Ms. Celis fault! A few days ago, she... she wouldn't wake up anymore..."

"Oh... oh, my... so you're telling me that you've got absolutely nobody to look after you?"

"That is true."

Simon seemed to think about something, for he frowned and rubbed his chin in thought. "You know... for the time being, you could stay here. I'll be here for a good few years for my research, and in the meantime, I'd be more than happy to provide you shelter."

"Really? Would... would you really do that for me?"

Simon smiled. "Of course I would. I can't let a child face the dangers of Grelbin alone."

"But what about you?"

"Me? Oh, you don't have to worry about me. I'm quite handy with a sword..."

"A sword? Isn't that a bit... 'outdated'?"

"No, not by far! You'd be surprised at what I can do with a sword."

"Would... would you show me?"

Simon seemed to think about it for a moment. "Okay. Let me grab my sword real quick."

* * *

"There they are." Larissa whispered, pointing at the YETI's in the distance. "They tried to eat me."

Simon frowned. "Well, I'll get them somethin' to eat." he growled whilst drawing his sword.

Larissa stared at the weapon. It was quite a beautiful sword. The blade was made out of a silver metal, while the handle was blue. She couldn't look at it more though, for Simon jumped off the cliff.

"Mr. Simon!" Larissa yelped in surprise, watching the man drop quite a distance.

Simon had a plan though. When he was about to slam into the unforgiving ice, he suddenly started to spin, using his sword like a helicopter blade to rise a few feet.

He yelled, catching the attention of the YETI's. "Oi! You guys!"

He readied his sword. "Prepare yourself!"

Unsurprisingly, the group of YETI's came running at him.

As soon as the first YETI had reached him, Simon suddenly unleashed a flurry of blows, followed by a powerful stab that sent the obviously doomed YETI flying into one of it's comrades.

Simon charged at a YETI, but before the monster could claw at him, he suddenly shot into the air, turned in mid air, and came charging downwards, sword pointed down for the kill.

Two YETI's down, eight to go. He charged at two YETI's and waited for them to reach them. Suddenly, he sprinted sideways at an incredible speed, circling the YETI's while his sword was pointed inwards, trapping the beasts in a tornado of blades.

When they were all done for, Simon stopped. A YETI sneaked up behind him, and Larissa let out a yelp of fear, but Simon turned around at the very last second, and blocked the claw sent his way by holding his sword sideways. He countered by giving the beast a punch in the face, then a powerful kick to the jaw, followed by Simon bringing his sword down on the creature's head.

Five YETI's were still standing. He sprinted at a YETI and slammed the side of his sword into the creature's jaw with such force that it send the creature flying up a few feet. Simon jumped after him and started to spin very rapidly, flying higher and higher by using his sword as a helicopter blade. With each feet climbed, he dealt lots of damage to the unfortunate YETI caught in the blade-storm. He slowed down, slowly losing speed, before giving the YETI one last massive kick, sending the mauled beast flying. Meanwhile the remaining YETI's had formed a group below him. Simon turned in mid air, and charged at the ground, sword pointing downwards. He disappeared in she small crowd of YETI's and Larissa feared that he would not come back out, but she was proven wrong as the remaining YETI's were sent flying by one last spinning attack. Simon slammed his sword into the ground. "How's _that_ for lunch, eh?"

A loud scream from the cliff behind him caught his attention. Larissa had failed to notice how slippery the terrain was and was about to fall off.

Simon jumped high into the air. He slammed his sword into the wall of ice and used the momentum to launch himself upwards whilst pulling his sword back out. He launched himself over the cliff's edge, and slammed his sword into the ground upon landing. He immediately rushed over to Larissa and helped her get back up. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

Larissa went silent for a moment. "That. Was amazing."

"I know, right? It took a lot of training though."

* * *

Angela paused her story. "I've got a dry throat, mind if I continue later?"

"No, not at all." Ratchet replied. "Want something to drink?"

"Tea would be just fine, thanks."

"Alright." Ratchet said as he got up, walked into the kitchen, and got to work.

* * *

 **Aaaand... switch! Now's Angela's turn to tell about her past. As you can see, this story is nearing it's end as well. After this story ends, the grand sequel will be uploaded on March 10, but I'll keep y'all entertained with an overdue update for Winter Special and perhaps even an update for Zoniborn, not to mention that I have another oneshot series starting March 1st!  
**


	7. Painful Moments

**Alrighty then, time for this week's chapter. However, this week's chapter will be the last chapter of Epilogue 1.5.**

 **Don't worry though, the first chapter of the grand sequel will be uploaded on March 10th, as promised, which is only three weeks from now.**

 **But in those three weeks, will there be any updates? Of course! I've started to work on one last large chapter for Winter Special, and I've got a small epilogue for this story (Epilogue 1.5) that will cover some parts of the plot that I hadn't been able to cover so far, such as Clank's reaction to Orvus appearing in his room, Ratchet talking to his parents...**

 **Combine that with the start of another one-shot series, this time revolving around Spring, and you'll see that there'll be more than enough to read!**

 **Anyhow, reviews!**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _Amazing chapter... and a bit scary with those YETIs and idiot Lucas. Keep up the beyond awesome work!  
P. S. Dr. Nefarious now owes me sixty million bolts! Lol! :)_"  
Thanks! And yeah, a bit scary, but hey, Lucas and the YETI's got what was coming for them. That's what they get for bullying Ratchet and trying to eat Angela respectively. And don't worry, I have no intention of quitting anytime soon.  
P.S. SIXTY MILLION?! I might as well 'accidentally forget' one letter and tell him that he owes you sixty BILLION. The amount of money he owes you seems to grow by the second, huh? Anyhow, enjoy!  
**

 **Destiny W: "** ** _This was a great chapter, I do have one question. Dose Angela's story take place before Ratchet's or after? I can't wait to read more._ "  
Thanks! As for your question, that is something that will be answered in time. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter as well.**

 **zenith88: "** ** _Well, it took me a few days to come up with an proper review, but i doubt i'm able to write an proper and objective review. Anyways, i'll try. It's totally awesome how you displayed the dissappearing of Simon. There is only one question about why Simon not returned to Ratchet after dissappearing? The next part is a little bit more difficult to write a review about. The first thing that came in my mind was "how much is she older?" then after reading a little bit further i think she is actually not that much older after Simon said (no pun intendet here too) he's only on Greblin for a few years, so he could have left at her age of 10? (only guessing so far) Well, lomg story short, you are an super awesome writer and you are getting better and better with each chapter you are writing. Especially if you compare chapter 1 of your story Epilogue to this chapter i'm writing an (in my opinion pretty pathetic) review. Thanks to you i'm looking forward to every Saturday because of an story-update from you. Keep going._ "  
Simon did not return to Ratchet for the simple reason that it would have been impossible for Simon to have survived unless he had some kind of superpowers. Of course, he did have superpowers, but he didn't want Ratchet to know that for the simple reason that Hypernova's enemies were far too dangerous: showing himself to be Hypernova would make Ratchet a target for those enemies. As for the fact that Ratchet and Angela seem to be about as old as the other, it is indeed surprising that Simon seemed to have raised them both at the same time. As for how this was possible, you will find out later. And thank you for the compliments! I did indeed get a lot better, probably because writing is such excellent English practice. Anyhow, since you're always so looking forward to new chapters, I'll stop here so you can read on. Enjoy!**

 **Max Chronicle: " _Good point with Simon teaching Sci-wait a minute...SIMON INVENTED NANOTECH!_**  
 _ **W. T. FUDGE!**_  
 _ **"...a Cragmite in Polaris who's willing to pay trillions to get his hands on a lombax." BEEPING SHIZ!**_  
 _ **Instead, there was Hypernova. (Seriously...THAT is BEYOND shiz-worthy. So beyond it in fact, you have now given me the task of inventing a new word to describe the sheer shiz-worthiness of the transformation...and subsequent AZZKICKING! *Yep, you succeeded.*)**_  
 _ **Also, let us not forget the whole "I AM BETTER THAN PRATICALLY EVERYTHING" speech/rant. And yet, he didn't succumb to their level. (Salutes)**_  
 _ **The day Tachyon came...(no, don't do it, don't cry) That was brilliantly sad. Way to go. (Lone tear falls)**_

 _ **Oooooh, Angela's story. I like it. And there's more. Yesssss.**_  
 _ **YETI-the very definition of the word 'Annoying' and the bane of every Going Commando player.(Man, I hate those things)**_  
 _ **Sucks to see a good story near its end. But that's the way it is. Seems like you have a lot of grand ideas coming. Knowing you I'd say that it will be worth it. Oooh, updates...ZONIBORN!**_  
 _ **Keep writing...**_  
 _ **Max out"  
**_ **Yeah, he invented Nanotech, another plot twist I came up with whilst writing the chapter. And yeah, threatening to sell Ratchet to Tachyon, it's so cruel that it would be perfect for Lucas to say. As for the way Simon transforms into Hypernova, it took quite a while of brainstorming for me to come up with that idea. And I figured that Hypernova sparing Lucas would be quite a twist as well. As for why he spared Lucas, he knew that sparing Lucas would mean that he'd live a life of misery, exactly what Lucas deserved. And the day Tachyon came, well, we all know that Tachyon would pay for that. Big time. YETI's, I hate them so much, which is exactly why I couldn't help but let Simon go on a rampage. 'Cause I was certain that nobody would feel sorry for them. And you bet I've got a lot of grand ideas! I've even got a plot twist planned... well... even the word you come up with that is 'beyond shiz-worthy' won't be enough to describe what a giant plot twist I've got coming up. As for Zoniborn... I haven't written anything for that story yet... I dont play Skyrim as much as I used to. I did play Skyrim again for a few minutes fairly recently, but... let's say that I immediately came across some pretty awkward stuff, such as a guard not noticing bandits that were standing literally a few feet away from him (and yes, he was facing them), though he did draw his sword when the bandits noticed me and tried to kill me. As you can imagine, the bandits failed miserably. Anyhow, I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter!**

 **All reviews have been replied to, so let's listen to the rest of Angela's story.**

* * *

Even though she was still mourning the loss of her previous guardian, Larissa's life was slowly getting better. For instance, Simon had taken all of the furniture out of a room, then redecorated it exactly as Larissa wanted. It would become her room. However, the day she would remember most was her tenth birthday.

"Alright, how old are you now?"

"Nine."

"And how old will you be tomorrow?"

"Ten."

Actually, that was not entirely true, but because Celis hadn't known the Lombax child's birthday either, her birthday became the day Celis had found her in the snow, because that day, Celis had been reborn. In fact, her birthday was three months later, but how could they have known that?

"Ten, that's a pretty big number!"

"Yes! I am becoming a big girl now!"

"Indeed, you are, which is why I've got a special present for you this year. It does come with a great responsibility, but I think, no, I am certian you can handle it."

"What is it?"

Simon had carefully put a cardboard box in the middle of the room. It was rather large, and there were a few small holes in the sides of it. He opened the box, and...

A small head popped out of the box. It had white fur and silver stripes, and two large blue eyes that were staring up at her.

It was a cat. But not an usual cat.

"Wow..." Larissa muttered. The cat meowed.

"She's gorgeous, huh?"

"Yes, but... why does she look like a Grelbinian snow tiger?"

"That's because I... 'played' a bit with DNA."

"DNA?"

"Oh, gods, how am I gonna explain this. Erm... Ah!"

He sat down on the floor, next to Larissa. "You see... your body is actually made of trillions of small parts named 'cells'. They are in fact so small that you need a special tool called a 'microscope' to be able to see them. Cells have many different parts, but the most important part is the cell's core. Inside the core of a cell is the cell's genetic material, a substance called DNA. It's basically an insanely long molecule built from sequences of four specific molecules, and these sequences determine what you look like. For instance, somewhere in your DNA there is a piece of code that basically reads 'this person has golden hair', and another part that basically reads 'this person is a Lombax'. It's more complicated than that, but I'll keep it as simple as possible.

If you mess with the DNA in a cell, it wouldn't matter that much, one altered cell versus trillions of unaltered cells. But, if you change the genetic material when a person is still one cell, the effects are clearly visible, for instance, it could result in a different fur color. In some cases the effects are favorable for the individual, for instance the ability to learn faster, in some cases they are unfavorable, for instance, the individual may lack the ability to store sugar in their liver, or break down certain molecules, or form certain enzymes.

What you see here, this kitten, has altered snow tiger DNA to make it smaller, non-aggressive and cuddly. A snow tiger doesn't like being hugged, but this little one sure does!"

Larissa listened with great interest. "That... that sounds incredible! Tell me more!"

"An eye for genetics, huh? Alright then. For instance, did you know that some parts of your DNA are identical to that of a tree? For instance, a part of your genetic material contains the code that tells your cells how to use a reaction between sugar and oxygen molecules to gain the energy they need. That your cells need oxygen for this chemical reaction is exactly why you need to breathe."

"So... I'm part identical to a tree?"

"Genetically, yes."

"That is so cool!"

Larissa looked around. She noticed the cat had fallen asleep in her lap. "And this cat?"

"Your genetic material and that cat's genetic material have some identical parts, yes."

"Tell me more, please!"

"Alrighty then! You see, DNA..."

* * *

"He's the one that introduced me to Genetics." Angela said, her voice sounding a bit shaky. "He's the one that gave me shelter and a friend when I had nobody. He's the one that walked with me to and from school every morning and every afternoon. He's the one I owe so much to. I've met him too, Ratchet."

"That... that's so... wow, I need a sec to let that sink in. But, eh... 'Larissa'? What's with the name?"

"Like I said, it was a temporary name. Just after my eighteenth birthday..."

* * *

Larissa was walking home from school. Simon had stayed at home this time, she had asked him to, much to the Human's annoyance. "But what if YETI's come after you again?"

"They never did, who says it'll be different this time? Besides, I've trained my lungs, if necessary I am certain I can make my escape through the water."

"Larissa-"

"Please. I'm eighteen now! What do you think everyone else will say when they see you walking with me while they always come to school on their own?"

"Oh, so it's peer pressure, huh?"

"No! It isn't! Just let me prove to you that I can do this!"

Simon sighed in defeat. "Fine. But if you get yourself killed..."

"I won't, you worry too much."

"Worry isn't a bad thing, not worrying enough is a bad thing. But you should really go now, or else you'll be late."

"You're letting me go on my own?"

"I know you well enough to know that you're darn stubborn, I'm certain that if I don't give in you'll spend the entire day here arguing."

Larissa shook her head. Simon worried too much, she could do this with ease!

However, that's when she heard a sound behind her. She turned around instantly.

A figure was standing a few feet behind her. It was wearing a thick coat, and Larissa could barely see their face.

It was a woman. A Lombax.

Tears formed in the older Lombax' eyes as she ran at Larissa. "I thought I would never see you again!" she said. Larissa took a few steps back. "W-who are you?!"

The woman stopped, and on her face was a look of pure hurt. "You... you don't remember me?"

"Should I?"

The woman nodded, a single tear falling from her left eye. "Yes you do, my daughter."

Larissa's eyes widened. "Mom?!"

The woman smiled through her tears. "Yes, Angela."

"Angela? Who's Angela?"

The woman tilted her head in confusion. "You don't know your name?"

"My name is Larissa."

"No, that can't be true."

"It is true. It's a temporary name given to me by the woman that found me in the snow a long time ago. She didn't know my real name, so she gave me a temporary name."

The woman started to cry. "You... you didn't remember me... you didn't know your name..."

She shook her head. "Follow me. Please, please do me this last favor."

Larissa followed the woman. After half an hour, they reached an icy cliff, a boulder seemingly stuck in the wall, frozen in the ice. The woman pushed against the boulder, revealing that it was a boulder carefully rolled into the entrance to an icy cavern. Larissa followed the woman in, and the woman closed the entrance behind them.

The woman turned to Larissa. "My daughter."

Her eyes filled with pride. "I am so very, very proud of you, my beautiful daughter."

Larissa shook her head, years of pain finally getting released. "Cut the bullcrap and tell me, why, for the love of god, did you dump me on this godforsaken snowball and didn't show up until now!?"

The woman shook her head, starting to cry once again. "It was all one big mistake! One big, big mistake!"

She sat down and let her head rest against the wall. Larissa followed her example, glaring at the woman.

"You see... the Lombaxes... there aren't many of them left."

"What do you mean?"

The woman shook her head and calmed slightly. "A long time ago, in the distant Polaris galaxy, ugly and cruel creatures called 'Cragmites' ruled the galaxy. Everyone suffered under their cruelty and hunger for power. That is, until the Lombaxes finally had enough. They rebelled against the Cragmites, and they won, banishing the Cragmites to another dimension and freeing the galaxy.

Years later, Lombax Trillium miners made an interesting discovery: a Cragmite egg. They raised the Cragmite that hatched from the egg as one of their own, it was the least they could do for him.

The Cragmite became an inventor, and one day, he made the Lombaxes an interesting proposal. He showed them a bunch of blueprints of mechanical suits, the wearer almost invincible inside the strong Platinum and Trillium armor. But, in return, they needed to grant him access to their technology so he could complete the designs. Nobody trusted him except one, a white-furred Lombax going by the name of Alister Azimuth. He granted Tachyon full access to the Lombax technology. A fatal mistake.

Mere months later, at night, the sky was suddenly set on fire. Tachyon was invading the city, brutally killing every Lombax in sight with the mechanical suits he had constructed. Ironically, isn't it? The Lombaxes were almost entirely wiped out with their own technology.

The few Lombaxes that made it to the court of Azimuth, yes, it was a court named after Alister Azimuth for his many heroic deeds, were able to reach another dimension using the same device they had used to banish the Cragmites.

Everyone who didn't make it to the court... died. I was lucky to be in Bogon when it happened. But my husband... your father... he... he wasn't as lucky. I haven't seen him since.

When Tachyon found me, I was barely able to get away, but above Grelbin... my ship got hit. I was thrown into the side of the ship by the force, and I accidentally hit the ejector seat. You were launched into space and at Grelbin in an escape pod.

I managed to lose Tachyon's forces by faking my own death by crashing on planet Tabora, but I managed to steal a ship from the miners and flew back to Grelbin, landed, and I've been searching the planet for you ever since. I didn't know whether or not I would find you alive, and I honestly didn't care. I would find you, no matter how long it would take. And here I am. Angela, please forgive me."

"What... what is my name?" Larissa whispered.

"Angela. Angela Cross."

"Angela..." Angela repeated. Her eyes filled with tears. "Mother..."

Angela suddenly stood up, ran over to her mother, and embraced her. Her mother hugged her back, letting her tears fall. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you all my life."

"That Alister... What happened to him?"

"I honestly do not know. I wish I knew."

Angela growled. "I wish that idiot never existed."

"Have mercy on him, Angela. I am sure he did what he believed was best."

"I cannot forgive him for all of this."

"Please, Angela, forgive him. Do it for your father."

"My father? Why? What does he have to do with forgiving Azimuth?"

Angela's mother coughed. "You know what saddens me the most? Tachyon attacked but a week before you were born. Your father died before his daughter could open her eyes for the first time. He died, not knowing that his daughter would be born one week later. We hadn't chosen a name yet. I named you 'Angela', because the first thing I thought when I saw you, I know it sounds cliché, was 'what a beautiful little angel'. Cliché, but true."

"Mother... what is your name?"

"I have never told you my name, have I?"

"No."

"My name... I am Lorna. Lorna Cross."

"Mother... this time... stay with me."

"I would love to, but..."

Angela's eyes widened. "But what?"

"I... whilst looking for you, I fell terribly ill. My body simply couldn't handle being exposed to sub-zero temperatures for years."

"What is-"

"My lungs, Angela. By breathing in such cold air and even a sharp ice particle evey now and then, I've severely damaged them. Every breath hurts."

Lorna ran a hand through her daughter's hair. "But seeing you again was worth every price."

"Mother..."

"I cannot stay, Angela. My time has come."

"But I still have so many questions!"

Lorna smiled. "I am not done with you either, but... I simply cannot go any further."

"Mother, please, you can't give up!"

"I'm not giving up. I'm only just like an old clock. It's been ticking for a long time now, but as it aged, the clock started to tick slower, and it will inevitably come to a stop."

"Mother... don't die..."

"I do not want to die, Angela, but that choice is not mine. But I will always be with you."

"I don't believe this!" Angela cried out. "If you're lungs are so broken, then how come you acted as if nothing was wrong?"

"Because I knew it would scare you. I pushed away the horrible pain so you would be more at ease."

Angela wrapped her arms around her mother and cried. Lorna wrapped her arms around her daughter. "It's alright, Angela. It's alright. It's... alright..."

Lorna took one last breath, and slowly exhaled, life leaving her in that last breath.

"Mother?"

Lorna did not respond. She just sat there, eyes closed, and with a weak smile on her face. Angela wiped a few hairs out of her mother's face, and gave her mother a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, mom. R-rest in peace."

Angela broke down, and she would stay that way until a very worried Simon would find her in the evening.

"There you are!" he said when he had reached her. Angela did not respond, she only cried. "Larissa? Is everything okay?"

"My name is A-Angela, not L-Larissa. A-Angela C-Cross." she sobbed. "A-and this is my mother."

Simon stared at the dead Lombax. "That is your mother?!"

"Yes! And she's dead!"

"Then how-"

"She just died!"

* * *

"We buried her in that cave, where she still rests up to this day." Angela said, sadness clearly present in her voice. "Simon left when I turned 19, having completed his research. He gave me his house, but he had to leave. H-he didn't even offer me to go with him..."

"He probably had his reasons. He didn't return to me after getting 'killed' by Tachyon because, like I said, that would mean that he possessed superpowers. Of course, he did have superpowers, but he didn't want me to know. To protect me. And for that reason he did not return, leaving me to believe he had died, hence why I was so shocked when Hypernova showed me his true face."

For a moment, there was an uneasy silence. Then Angela suddenly broke down. " **It's not fair!** " she roared and burst out crying. Ratchet hurried over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay. It's okay."

"I miss my mother!" she yelled. "Every damn second of every damn day!"

"I know how you feel."

Angela suddenly exploded. " **Cut the damn bullcrap, Ratchet! You don't know what it's like to meet your mother after so long, only to see her die in front of you mere minutes later! And what's even worse: you. Got. Your. Damn. Parents. Back! Simon raised me too, but for some reason I was forgotten! He even gave you your damn godfather back, but nooo, let's forget Angela, huh?! You got your family back and I was left in the dirt, so don't you dare to say that you know how I feel!** "

Needless to say, Ratchet was shocked. However, he had made Hypernova a promise: he would not tell her about her parents' true fate, that they had been saved as well.

"We'll get them back, Angela."

" **No we won't, because we can't! Goddammit, Ratchet! Just... go!** "

"What?"

" **Leave me alone! You can't even** _ **imagine**_ **what it's like to feel** _ **this**_ **betrayed!** "

"Don't blame me! I'm trying to _help_ you!" Ratchet said, getting a bit ticked off.

" **Out!** " Angela roared.

"Why?!"

" **Just. Go.** "

"Why? What did I do wrong?!"

" **You didn't do anything wrong, I just can't stand it that you got everyone back but I didn't while I knew Simon just as well!** "

"So you're directing your anger at _me_?!"

Ratchet was furious. Simon hadn't forgotten her, and at least she had spoken to her mother before her mother had died, Ratchet had never known his mother until fairly recently, and he still knew quite little of her, he hadn't had the chance to sit down with his parents and talk. But that aside, who did Angela think she was, blaming him for something that wasn't his fault?

Ratchet was practically boiling. "Goodbye." he spat and stormed out of the house. "Bloody idiot." he cursed under his breath as he jumped into Aphelion and flew off.

About half an hour later, Angela had calmed down. Almost immediately she realized what she had done: her angry behavior towards Ratchet had been completely unfair, he had only been trying to help her, but when all those years of built-up anger had been released at once, she hadn't been able to control herself. She ran towards the phone and dialed Ratchet's number.

"What do you want?!" he spoke.

"Ratchet, I'm so sor-"

"Oh, cut the bullcrap, Angela! Do you have any idea how much you've hurt me? **I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE ALONE! DON'T YOU REMEMBER? SIMON HAD TO FAKE HIS DEATH! ALL THIS TIME I THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD! I NEVER MET MY MOTHER WHEN I WAS YOUNG! I KNEW NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT MY PARENTS! I HAD IT WORSE THAN YOU, YOU HAD AN OLD CAZAR RAISING YOU, I HAD AN ORPHANAGE FULL OF BULLIES, SO YES, I KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT IT'S LIKE! AND I GET THAT YOU'RE ANGRY, BUT BLAMING ME FOR IT?! BLAMING ME FOR ALL OF IT?!** "

Ratchet took a few deep breaths after that outburst. "Leave me alone. Please." he said, sounding sadder than Angela had ever heard him, before hanging up.

She let out a sad sigh and shook her head. This whole mess was her fault, but Ratchet was right, it would be best if she would leave him alone for now. She could only hope that she hadn't just completely ruined her friendship with Ratchet. But, only time would tell.

And perhaps time would tell a bit too soon...

* * *

 **And you all know what that last line means... Anyhow, I guess that was quite a surprising ending to this story, huh? Anyhow, for next week, I've got one last chapter planned as I said earlier. Trust me when I say that you all will love it.  
**


	8. Time to Meet

**Phew! I really am late this time! It's getting quite late here, so I'll skip the author's notes this time. So, reviews!  
**

 **Jadzia Kira Dax: "** ** _That was one heck of an awesome chapter! I'm glad you had Lorna Cross involved with this chapter. Lombaxes rock!  
P. S. Yeah, I like making jokes about Ratchet and Clank characters owing me bolts!_"  
Thanks! And yeah, I just had to add Lorna, I mean, I don't know any fic in which she actually plays a role, and I wanted to change that. As for why I chose to feature her alone and left Angela's father out... you will all find out later. And yeah, Lombaxes rock! Anyhow, enjoy!**

 **Destiny W: "** ** _Well, that escalated real quick. I can't wait to read what happens next. : )_ "  
In that case I won't hold you up. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.**

 **Max Chronicle: "** ** _I trust you...only time will tell, huh. That was in my opinion...VERY SURPRISING but...  
I'm half tempted to take Travel The Days to see if my prediction of the next chapter is true or not, I think I am though. Guess I'll see next week.  
About the whole "shiz-worthy" ending; I accept that challenge.  
Until next time...  
Max out_"  
I have no idea if your prediction is correct, so please, let me know what your prediction was. Anyhow, I won't hold you up, go check if you were right. Enjoy!**

 **zenith88: "** ** _Sorry it took me so long to write an review, but i simply forgot to write one. Anyhow you really surprised me when Angela yelled at Ratchet and back. The whole orderal with Angelas mother explaine also a lot to me, as for example from where she got her name. And the ract Simon introduced her to genetics is just as great as the whole story. Well see ya at the next chapter/story._ "  
You're lucky I am late with this chapter, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to reply to your review. As for the argument between Ratchet and Angela, I wanted to end things with a bang and begin Epilogue 2.0 with some tension between Ratchet and Angela. Furthermore, I thought Lorna telling Angela where Angela got her name from was a nice addition. And I figured that she had to be introduced to genetics ****somehow, so I gave Simon the honours. Why this is relevant you will find out in Epilogue 2.0. But for now, enjoy!**

* * *

 _Time to meet_

* * *

Late at night, Clank was asleep in his recharge station on Ratchet's nightstand. He wasn't really dreaming of anything, but he was in a deep sleep that he wasn't going to wake up from anytime soon, and thus he had no idea of the hologram of Hypernova appearing or Ratchet leaving in the middle of the night.

However, he was woken up when he felt strange, as if something next to him was radiating some kind of energy. He slowly opened his right eye, and noticed that Ratchet's bed was empty, and that the room was being illuminated by a strange blue light, the light apparently coming from right next to him. Needless to say, the weird feeling, the mysterious blue light and Ratchet's disappearance scared Clank a bit, but he still opened his left eye and carefully looked to where the energy and the light came from.

A shock went through him that was so powerful that his mechanical heart skipped a beat. Hovering right there in front of him in a ball of blue light was his father.

Orvus.

"F-father?!" Clank stammered.

Orvus did not respond, seemingly asleep. "Father?" Clank tried again. No response.

"Orvus?"

Orvus suddenly shuddered, and one eye slowly opened. "Tea time already, Sigmund?" he muttered, still half asleep. Orvus chuckled. "Get it? Time already? Ha ha... ha..."

Orvus fell asleep again. Clank shook his head, he would have to wait for his father to wake up. Deciding to go do something useful, Clank got up and walked out of Ratchet's room, into the house underneath Ratchet's garage. He started to clean the house out of boredom, but an hour later the entire house had been cleaned (save for the room Angela was in, Clank did not want to risk disrupting her sleep so he had skipped that room for now), so with nothing else to do, Clank sat down on the couch and grabbed his book.

Even though it was very dark, Clank hadn't turned on the lights, he had no trouble seeing or reading thanks to the green glow coming from his eyes. However, since Clank could read really fast, he had finished reading the last page of his book by five A.M. and after checking up on Orvus it was clear that Clank still had to wait quite a while.

So, Clank sat down on the couch again and turned on the TV. He chose the science channel. The show was currently about quantum physics, something that did have Clank's interest, so the robot kept watching.

The show then finished and another show started, this time about scientists trying out new ideas and talking about their projects. After a while that show had ended as well, and another one began, this time on biology. Suddenly, Clank's sensors picked up sounds coming from the room Angela slept in for now, and sure enough, the door opened and Angela came walking out. She didn't look too awake, still in her PJ's and with a sleepy look in her eyes. "Good morning Ms. Cross. Have you slept well?" Clank asked.

"Huh?" Angela asked, turning to Clank. "Oh! Yeah, I did sleep well, thanks."

She yawned. "Waking up, that's the problem." she muttered as she walked into the kitchen and started to make herself a cup of tea. After a few minutes she joined Clank on the couch. "What are you watching?" she asked.

"The science channel. The current show is about Biology, or more specifically, DNA."

"Oh. Well, mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Not at all." Clank replied. "I am actually rather happy that you are willing to watch the science channel with me. Ratchet usually does not want to, for he often does not understand what the show is about."

Angela chuckled. "Sounds like Ratchet alright."

She looked around. "Speaking of him, where is he?"

Realization hit Clank like a truck as he remembered that Ratchet had disappeared and that he had forgotten due to his father appearing all of a sudden. He also realized that Angela would probably become sick with worry.

"Uuh... Erm... Ratchet... Ratchet is currently on his way to the Gadgetron headquarters on Kalebo III to pick up some hardware for a project he has been working on." Clank lied.

"Oh. Okay. Ratchet really has a knack for mechanics, huh?"

"Indeed. He often works on gadgets when he has time, or when he does not feel like working on yet another gadget, he plays video games."

"Games? Doesn't he read?"

"I have rarely ever seen Ratchet read, I'm afraid."

"Hmm, he should try it once."

"I agree."

Angela drank her tea as they watched the science channel. But that's when a voice came from behind them. "Oh, tea! It has been such a long time!"

Angela nearly dropped her cup of tea in surprise, and Clank nearly jumped. "The hell?!" Angela yelped as she got up and turned around in an instant. She did not see anyone, though she had clearly heard a voice. "Did you hear something, Clank?"

The voice spoke again. "Oh, silly me, I completely forgot that Zoni usually cannot be seen unless they make themselves visible."

Orvus appeared, hovering in the middle of the room. "There, can you see me now?"

Angela nodded with a look of pure confusion on her face. "Yeah, but... what in the world are you?"

"Miss Cross, meet my father." Clank said.

"Father?"

"Yes, Clank is my son." Orvus spoke up. "His body may have been created in a robot factory on planet Quartu in the Solana galaxy, but his soul did not come from a robot factory, oh no!"

"Father, I have so many questions that I do not even know where to begin." Clank spoke up.

"Ask all you want, I've got some time. Hehe, get it? Time?"

Clank nodded. "The question that has been bothering me for such a long time now is what happened on Zanifar, and where have you been all this time?"

"Those are two questions actually, but that aside. On Zanifar, I was betrayed by Nefarious, who imprisoned me in a special glass cylinder. He then started to interrogate me, asking me many different things, such as the location of the Clo- erm, 'my project', and asking how he could get into my chamber. I, of course, did not answer his questions, and as a result he used a device that he named the Hypersonic Brainwave Scrambler if I remember correctly to weaken my powers. Because it was quite clear that Nefarious was up to no good and that it would mean certain destruction for the universe if he would get access to my chamber, I blew up my physical form."

"But how could you have survived? Zoni cannot live without their metallic bodies."

"Luckily for me, there was one person nearby who was not evil, a golden Lombax hiding from Nefarious not too far away. I rushed over to him and fused with him to some extent, using his body as a safe haven. Unfortunately, I seem to have left something behind, for Nefarious could recover an image of you, my son. To my surprise, the Lombax seemed to recognize you as well, for he stammered 'Clank?!' upon seeing your face, accidentally making his presence known. I had to use quite a lot of energy during that adventure, for instance, I was the one who opened the... I forgot what it was called, basically that metal container that the Lombax used to store Zoni in. Whilst browsing through his memories, it was quite clear that it was no coincidence that that Lombax, which I found out to be named Ratchet, was there, he was a close friend of you.

I used so much power to keep both of you safe that I had to sleep in order to regain my powers. Unfortunately, whenever Ratchet would hear my name, I would wake up. However, I did not have enough power to wake up, so I would drain that power from Ratchet. What is even worse is that I could not prevent myself from waking up, nor could I prevent myself from using Ratchet's energy. Whenever I would accidentally drain his energy, Ratchet would feel pain. I did wake up again at some point, and after browsing through some of Ratchet's memories, I found out that it was just after you and Ratchet had defeated creatures from a dimension called the Netherverse. Unfortunately, I had to use all of my powers once again to create a timegate to save someone from destruction."

Orvus turned to Angela. "You."

"Me?"

"Yes. You were on Lumos at the time."

And suddenly, all pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "So that's where that thing came from..." Angela muttered.

"Yes. However, I had used all of the power I had, and thus I fell asleep once again, and that brings me to this moment, I frankly have no idea how I got here or why I am no longer fused with Ratchet."

Clank frowned. "That is indeed odd. Perhaps Ratchet knows something, we should ask him when he returns."

"Indeed, we should. But, for now, could I have a cup of tea? It has been ages since the last time I drank tea."

"Certainly." Clank said, getting up and walking to the kitchen. Angela got up as well, but walked into the room she used and locked the door behind her.

She came out again when Clank was giving his father a cup of tea. This time, however, Angela was wearing her usual outfit and looked fully awake.

"That's better. Also, thank you for saving me... uh..."

"Oh, have I forgotten to introduce myself? The name is Orvus."

"Orvus? _The_ Orvus?"

"The one, but not the only, for there can be more of me at a time. Hehehe, that is, if I play with time a little."

Orvus' serious side came back. "I hope you understand that that was just a joke, I actually highly recommend you to not mess with time, it is already so battered and broken."

"Time? Battered and broken?"

"Yes, but I cannot tell you more about it, for the safety of the universe itself."

"I understand. You know, some things I don't even want to know, I'm much better off without knowing of something that could potentially risk the universe, or at least, you say that you cannot tell me more for it would risk the universe. Then, in that case, by all means don't tell me."

Orvus nodded. "You are a wise woman. Many cannot stand it when something is kept a secret from them."

"Father, your tea is getting cold." Clank pointed out.

"Oh. Thank you for pointing that out." Orvus said as he started to drink his tea.

"No problem." Clank replied.

At that moment, the sound of engines could be heard, and soon enough they could hear the sound of a ship landing outside the garage.

Just a few seconds later they could hear footsteps coming down the staircase, and soon Ratchet came walking into the underground house. However, more footsteps could be heard, indicating that more people were coming down the stairs. Angela and Clank watched in shock as three Lombaxes followed Ratchet.

One of the two males had grey fur, orange eyes and his stripes were a mix of orange and crimson. He was strongly built, and appeared to have a small beard. The other male had golden fur, green stripes and brown stripes, and frankly, closely resembled Ratchet. And the female Lombax was a bit taller than the others, golden fur, sky blue eyes, and long golden hair.

"Ratchet, who are these people?" Angela asked.

"Angela, Clank, meet Kaden and Elisabeth, my parents, and Alister Azimuth, my godfather."

Clank tilted his head in confusion. "I was almost certain that Kaden and Elisabeth had died, and I saw Alister die before my eyes, so how can they be here now?"

"Hypernova."

"Come again?"

"Last night I couldn't sleep. Imagine my surprise when a hologram of Hypernova formed in the corner of the room. He told me that, if I wanted answers, I had to follow him, and so I did. As it turns out, Hypernova had been working on bringing my parents back for quite a while now, and he was even able to save Alister. He also managed to force Orvus out of my body, and gave him back his old metallic body."

"Ah, that explains quite a lot." Orvus mumbled in thought."

Ratchet turned to where Orvus' voice came from. "Oh? You're awake?"

"Yes, I am." Orvus said, hovering over to Ratchet. "I believe I have not introduced myself to you yet. I am Orvus."

Ratchet smiled. "I know. Clank told me about you."

Orvus nodded. "That he still lives to tell about me is something I must thank you for, without you my son would have died."

"Well, I wouldn't be breathing either if it wasn't for Clank."

Orvus nodded. "Still, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a dear and loyal friend of my son."

"Don't thank me, thank Clank. He made me into who I am now."

"That is not entirely true. Someone can advice a person to choose a different path in life, but if that person listens or not is up to them. Clank may have played a certain role in making you who you are now, but in the end, it was you who let Clank change you."

"Erm... okay... well..."

"I see my words are a bit confusing. I agree, they are, but they are true. All that aside, I see you have some people to talk to, some people you hadn't really met until fairly recently." Orvus said, nodding towards Ratchet's parents. "Come," he said whilst turning to Angela and Clank. "Let's give them a moment alone, shall we?"

Angela and Clank nodded, and followed Orvus up the stairs and out of the house. Clank still had lots to discuss with Orvus anyways.

As Angela passed Ratchet, she stopped for a moment. "Ratchet?"

"Yeah?" Ratchet said, turning to her.

"I... I don't exactly know what to do right now. I mean, Clank's got his father to talk things over with, you've got your parents and your godfather, but I... I've got nothing to do. At all."

Ratchet hummed in thought. "Then you should think."

Angela frowned. "Not funny."

"You don't get what I mean. I meant that you'll have some time to think about where you want your new house to be."

"Ooooooh. Sorry for the misunderstanding, I get what you mean now. Yeah, that's indeed a good idea. Alrighty then, see you later."

"Bye!" Ratchet said as Angela turned around and walked up the stairs, disappearing from view.

An uneasy silence filled the air. Ratchet turned to his parents. "Well... uh... I suppose you've got lots of questions, so..."

"You first." Elisabeth replied.

"Well... Alister told me about my dad, but other than that, I know nothing about you. All I know is what Hypernova told me, which isn't much."

"I... whoa, it's been such a while ago, uh... I used to be a doctor. I worked in the hospital, but on the ambulance too every once in a while. I used to work together with my good friend Lorna. God, it's been such a long time since I've seen her, I wonder if she's alright."

Alister cleared his throat. "If nobody minds, I think I'm going outside for a moment."

Kaden blinked. "Okay..."

"What? I just need some time to think."

"Well, that's new!"

Alister poked Kaden's arm. "Watch it, Kay." he said with a grin.

"You got it, Al."

Alister shook his head with a smile. "I never thought I'd ever see you again, Kay."

"Are you getting sentimental, Al?"

"Huh, perhaps. Anyhow, I'm really glad to have you back, happier than I am to be alive myself. You haven't changed even the slightest, have you?"

"Nope."

Alister smiled and nodded. "Keep it up."

Alister walked up the stairs, and disappeared from view.

Kaden turned to his son. "Anyhow, got any more questions, kiddo?"

"Yeah, what was your job, dad?"

"Me? I used to be a racer."

"A racer?"

"Yep. I was an one-man team."

Elisabeth poked his arm. "Ouch! Sorry, two-men team."

He received another poke to the arm. "OOW! One-man-one-woman team, alright?"

Elisabeth nodded. "Good boy. Cookie for you."

Kaden burst out laughing. "Ah, you're the best."

"And you know it." Elisabeth replied with a smile. "But weren't you in the middle of a story?"

"Yeah, that is until _someone_ interrupted me."

Elisabeth raised a brow. "But that aside," Kaden quickly said. "I used to race for charity. The money I won would go to various foundations. Okay... maybe not all money, seventy percent would go to charity. I needed the other thirty percent for maintaining my racecar and, of course, to save money. You have no idea how much money I'd racked up by the time you were born, enough for you to go to college for sure, which is exactly what I had saved the money for. 'Beth, on the other hand, made it her job to promote our team, making sure that we looked just as serious as the large teams, you know, the one that have a small army worth of mechanics."

"A racer... that's so, so cool."

Kaden grinned. "Well, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a mechanic, I fix other people's ships. I even built my own ship."

Kaden's mouth fell open. "You built your own ship? May I see it?"

Ratchet grinned sheepishly. "Well... uh... the thing is... I would have showed it to you... if I hadn't broken it mere minutes after completion. I kinda... lost control upon re-entry."

Kaden's ears lowered a bit. "Oh... well... that's unfortunate. Thank goodness you're still in one piece though."

Ratchet smiled. "I've handled much worse than that."

Suddenly, Ratchet's watch made a beeping sound. Ratchet glanced at his watch. "Darn, there seems to be trouble above planet Sargasso. I've got to go."

"Erm, there is one thing..." 'Beth spoke up. "Where can Kaden and I stay?"

"The nearest hotel is in Red Haven City, not too far from here. You can use Alister's ship, I safely stored it in an underground garage. Clank'll show you which door. Sorry, but I really have to go now. We'll catch up later."

Kaden nodded. "Go get 'em, son."

Elisabeth smiled, though there was a hint of worry in her eyes. "Be careful, Ratchet."

Ratchet smiled. "I've been up against tougher opponents, I won't be in any danger."

"Yes, but... you are my only son..."

Ratchet froze. "Yeah..."

Talwyn's voice came through Ratchet's watch. "Ratchet, come in. We need help here, now!"

"On my way." He replied. He ran up the stairs, jumped into Aphelion, and flew off.

Meanwhile, Alister was sitting on the edge of the plateau, his feet dangling off the edge and his eyes fixated on the horizon. He heard footsteps behind him, and glanced over his shoulder.

Angela was walking past him, on her way back to Ratchet's garage. She noticed Alister. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yes... no." Alister replied, eyes fixated on the horizon once again. "So what are you doing out here all alone?"

"Well, Clank got his father back, Ratchet got his parents back, and I... I got nobody." she replied with a bitter tone in her voice.

"You didn't get anyone back?"

"Nope."

Alister sighed. "Well, can't say I've got anyone."

"You're alone?"

"Yes. I was in love once, but... I don't know. For all I know, she believes me to be dead and has either taken her own life or has been killed, or is somewhere out there, on one of those countless planets, impossible for me to find. It's so frustrating."

Angela sat down next to him. "What was she like?"

Alister smiled as he stared at the horizon. "She was so beautiful, so radiant, so full of energy and so full of life, and she had the most beautiful eyes that were as bright as the purest oceans. I usually found myself getting lost in her eyes."

Angela smiled. "I miss people too. You miss your love, I miss my parents. I never knew my father, I know nothing about him to be honest, only that he was presumably killed during Tachyon's attack. I did get a chance to meet my mother, but she died soon after I met her."

"What was she like?" Alister asked.

Before Angela could answer, Kaden's voice came from the garage. "Al! Get your lazy butt over here!"

"Why?" Alister yelled over his shoulder.

"Elisabeth and I are going to look for a place to stay nearby, but the only ship we can use is your old ship, so unless you want to walk, you better get over here."

"Fair enough I guess." Alister mumbled as he got up and started to walk towards the garage, leaving Angela behind. Angela laid back and relaxed, not caring about getting sand in her hair, she'd wash it out later. She started to think. And finally, she realized where she wanted her new house to be.

"Dunynoa." She mumbled, staring at a bright star in the sky that could only be said planet.

* * *

 **So this chapter was set between Epilogue and Epilogue 1.5, a small 'in-between' chapter. This is the last chapter of Epilogue 1.5 though, but stay tuned, for the story will continue on March 10th...  
**

 **Don't be sad though, I've got lots of other stories to update in the meantime. I've got one last Winter Special chapter nearly finished, and I plan on writing a chapter for Zoniborn as well as start another story.**


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